Lakers vs. Pelicans final score, results: LeBron James, LA advance to playoffs with thrilling NBA Play-In win

Gilbert McGregor

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Lakers vs. Pelicans final score, results: LeBron James, LA advance to playoffs with thrilling NBA Play-In win image

The Lakers held on for a four-point win against the Pelicans to advance to the NBA Playoffs, where they will face the defending champion Nuggets.

Los Angeles holds the Western Conference's No. 7 seed for the second year in a row. LeBron James & Co. are also facing Nikola Jokic and Denver for the second year, though last year the Nuggets swept the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

While the Lakers led by as many as 18 points in the opening game of the 2024 Play-In Tournament, Zion Williamson led a furious comeback for the Pelicans. Williamson finished with a game-high 40 points but exited in the final minutes with an apparent injury to his left leg.

James led the way for LA with 23 points, nine assists and nine rebounds. D'Angelo Russell scored 21 points, while Anthony Davis scored 20 and pulled down 15 rebounds.

The Lakers are headed to the Mile High City, where they'll look to snap their seven-game losing streak vs. the Nuggets. The Pelicans, meanwhile, will face the winner of Tuesday's Warriors-Kings contest in an elimination game Friday.

The Sporting News tracked live updates, highlights, and more from the thrilling matchup.

MORE: Can LeBron James slow down Nikola Jokic this time around?

Lakers vs. Pelicans live score

  1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q Final
Lakers 26 34 23 27 110
Pelicans 34 16 26 30 106

Lakers vs. Pelicans live updates, highlights

(All times Eastern.)

Final: Lakers 110, Pelicans 106

10:08 p.m.: And that's a wrap.

The Lakers earn the West's seventh seed and will move on to face the Nuggets in the first round. On Friday, the Pelicans will face the loser of the 9-vs-10 game between the Kings and Warriors.

For now, New Orleans' focus shifts to the health of Zion Williamson

10:04 p.m.: Anthony Davis is fouled after pulling down a crucial offensive rebound and sinks a pair of free throws to put LA back up by four.

Timeout Pelicans with 14.8 seconds to go.

Lakers 106, Pelicans 102

10:01 p.m.: It's been a rough outing for CJ McCollum but he gets a tough mid-range jumper to go to slice the deficit in half.

New Orleans trails by two points with 38.0 seconds left.

Lakers 104, Pelicans 102

9:59 p.m.: After the Pelicans cut the deficit to one, a corner 3 from D'Angelo puts LA up by four with 50.3 seconds to play.

Russell's hit five 3s on the night and has 21 points.

Timeout Pelicans.

Lakers 104, Pelicans 100

9:57 p.m.: A crucial turnover from Jose Alvarado leads to an alley-oop from Austin Reaves to Anthony Davis.

Los Angeles is back up two with just over a minute to play.

Lakers 101, Pelicans 99

9:53 p.m.: Zion Williamson has exited the floor with an apparent injury.

After his drive, Williamson looked to be in discomfort and walked to the locker room. His status for the final three minutes of the game is unclear.

9:52 p.m.: It's a 40-piece for Zion Williamson.

Williamson has tied things up with a driving floater and now has 40 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in his first-ever postseason game.

Pelicans 95, Lakers 95

9:50 p.m.: New Orleans is right there. It tied the game courtesy of a Zion Williamson layup before Anthony Davis put the Lakers back ahead.

Jose Alvarado has been the catalyst for the Pelicans with his effort on both ends of the floor.

Timeout on the floor.

Lakers 95, Pelicans 93

9:44 p.m.: Things are getting very interesting at the Smoothie King Center. It's a four-point game with over five minutes left to play.

Jose Alvarado drained a 3 to cut the deficit to two points but Austin Reaves quickly responded with a floating layup.

This one may come down to the wire.

Lakers 93, Pelicans 89

9:40 p.m.: Here come the Pelicans!

A 3-pointer from Trey Murphy III cuts the deficit to six points and Zion Williamson chips into it even more by splitting a pair of free throws. There's still 6:13 to play in regulation.

Lakers 91, Pelicans 86

9:35 p.m.: The teams are going back-and-forth but the Pelicans can't afford to trade baskets with the Lakers.

Three minutes into the final frame, LA leads by nine points. Timeout on the floor.

Lakers 89, Pelicans 80

End of third quarter: Lakers 83, Pelicans 76

9:28 p.m.: New Orleans closes the third quarter on a 19-8 run to cut the deficit to seven points ahead of the fourth quarter.

We've got a game on our hands.

Zion Williamson is up to 31 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way for the Pelicans. For the Lakers, LeBron James has a team-high 19 points to go along with seven assists. All five Lakers starters are in double figures.

New Orleans will look to complete the comeback with a quarter to play.

9:22 p.m.: Make that 30 points (and counting) for Zion Williamson.

Williamson has turned in 10 points in each of the first three quarters to move up to 30 points in the game. Ahead of the game, Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal challenged Williamson to turn in a 40-point performance and he's on track to do so.

New Orleans may need 40 from Williamson to complete a comeback.

Lakers 83, Pelicans 73.

9:12 p.m.: The Lakers' confidence is starting to rise.

Los Angeles is up by 14 points with just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter. The crowd at the Smoothie King Center hasn't been given much to cheer about.

Zion Williamson has a game-high 26 points and has been the brightest spot but the Pelicans have not delivered otherwise.

Lakers 75, Pelicans 61

9:01 p.m.: Los Angeles is picking up where it left off in the second quarter.

A transition layup from Austin Reaves puts the Lakers back up 13 just over three minutes into the third frame. Pelicans head coach Willie Green has signaled for a timeout.

New Orleans is going to have to turn things around before this one gets away from them.

Lakers 66, Pelicans 53

Halftime: Lakers 60, Pelicans 50

8:39 p.m.: Zion Williamson goes coast to coast to beat the halftime buzzer and cut the deficit to 10 at the half.

Williamson has a game-high 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Not bad for the first half of his postseason debut. His buzzer-beating drive could give the Pelicans life after a rough second frame.

The Lakers outscored the Pelicans 34-16 in the second frame to build a double-digit lead. LeBron James' 15 points are tied for a team-high with D'Angelo Russell, who has also dished out six assists.

Anthony Davis has six points and eight rebounds and as a team, the Lakers are shooting 10 of 20 from deep while the Pelicans are shooting 4 of 16.

8:26 p.m.: Under four minutes remain in the first half and the Lakers have a five-point lead.

LeBron James is up to nine points, five assists and four rebounds on the night after a few transition buckets. James has been a steadying force while D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Davis have also made big contributions.

In his first postseason action, Zion Williamson has 16 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes of action. Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones have each added seven points apiece for New Orleans.

8:22 p.m.: New Orleans and Los Angeles continue to battle back-and-forth.

Anthony Davis splits a pair of free throws to give the Lakers a three-point lead as we cross the midway point of the second quarter. Davis and the Lakers continue their strong play in the second quarter.

Lakers 45, Pelicans 42

8:11 p.m.: The Lakers have responded.

Los Angeles opens the second frame on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to one point.

D'Angelo Russell has picked up where he left off and is up to a game-high 15 points while LeBron James has five points and five assists.

For New Orleans, Zion Williamson has 12 points, six rebounds and that loud block on James.

Pelicans 36, Lakers 35

End of first quarter: Pelicans 34, Lakers 26

8:05 p.m.: It's a strong finish to the first frame for New Orleans, which holds an eight-point lead after the first 12 minutes.

The game has been all about the lefties to start — D'Angelo Russell's 13 points lead all scorers while Zion Williamson leads New Orleans with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

The Pelicans are shooting 50.0 percent from the field while the Lakers are shooting an icy 34.6 percent. New Orleans' 14-5 run to finish the quarter was fueled by its defensive intensity.

8:00 p.m.: We've got an early back-and-forth between D'Angelo Russell and Jose Alvarado.

The two have been exchanging words and got into each other's faces with under one minute remaining in the first quarter. The sequence is under review as Alvarado was whistled for a technical foul.

After a review, it's a double technical foul for Alvarado and Russell, who have some history on the floor.

7:55 p.m.: It's a quick 5-0 sprint for the Pelicans, who are taking advantage of a drought for the Lakers. Los Angeles has missed six straight field goals.

New Orleans, which is stepping up defensively, takes a four-point lead into a timeout.

Pelicans 25, Lakers 21.

7:45 p.m.: The pace has been one to behold early on.

Just past the midway point of the first quarter, these teams have combined for 41 points. LA has a one-point lead as the first timeout of the night comes with 5:10 remaining in the first.

D'Angelo Russell leads all scorers with eight points while Brandon Ingram leads the Pelicans with five points. Jonas Valanciunas has four points, six rebounds and an assist and New Orleans is winning the rebounding battle 9-6.

The early difference? The Lakers are 4 of 6 from 3-point range while the Pelicans are 2 of 5.

Lakers 21, Pelicans 20

7:37 p.m.: After a slow game on Sunday, Jonas Valanciunas gets the Pelicans on the board first after a trip to the free throw line.

The 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament is underway.

Pregame

7:15 p.m.: It's about that time. Anthony Davis and LeBron James look ready.

7:07 p.m.: Starting lineups are in.

Starting for the Pelicans: CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas.

Starting for the Lakers: D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

6:45 p.m.: Anthony Davis and LeBron James are both officially available for the Lakers tonight. Cam Reddish has been downgraded to out, joining Jalen Hood-Schifino, Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood on the inactive list.

It's a clean injury report for the Pelicans, who will be at full strength.

6:07 p.m.: Lakers head coach Darvin Ham says "In all likelihood, he'll be out there. For sure," when asked about Anthony Davis' status for Tuesday night.

5:35 p.m.: After experiencing back and hip spasms on Sunday, Anthony Davis is warming up for tonight's game.

Davis said he'd definitely be playing against his former team and he appears to be on track to do so.

4:50 p.m.: Tip-off is over two hours away but LeBron James is already on-site at the Smoothie King Center and ready to get to work.

Lakers vs. Pelicans betting odds

The Pelicans opened as 1.5-point favorites over the Lakers according to BetMGM, an authorized gaming operator of the NBA.

  Spread Total Moneyline
Lakers +1.5 (-115) o224.5 (-110) +100
Pelicans -1.5 (-105) u224.5 (-110) -120

MORE: TSN's Steph Noh shares his expert All-NBA picks

Lakers vs. Pelicans date start time, TV channel, live stream

  • Date: Tuesday, April 16
  • Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
  • TV channel: TNT
  • Live stream: Sling

In the United States, Lakers vs. Pelicans will air nationally on TNT. Viewers in the U.S. can also stream Lakers vs. Pelicans on Sling TV.

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Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.