Lakers News: LA, New Orleans Starting Fives Set For Play-In Battle
Will the Lakers get their chance at the Denver Nuggets?
The NBA play-in tournament tips off at 4:30 p.m. PT with the 8th-seeded Lakers visiting the 7th-seeded New Orleans Pelicans for the second time in approximately 48 hours.
Coming off of an incredibly dominant 124-108 win on Sunday, the Lakers will look to keep the momentum going against a team they've had their way with this season, dating back to the In-Season Tourmament semi-finals in December.
With regards to starters, both teams will trot out the same groups that they did on Sunday. For the Pelcians, that's guard CJ McCollum, wing Herbert Jones, small forward Brandon Ingram, power forward Zion Williamson, and center Jonas Valanciunas, as the club announced via its official X account:
For the Lakers, it's Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic. It's a starting group that is 17-5 on the season. That pace would be good for 63 wins across an 82-game season.
LA matches up well with New Orleans, as their size, length, and rim protection create issues for Pelicans forward Zion Williamson. While the Pels are stacked with multiple great shooters, they can have off games (akin to Sunday), collapsing their offense.
The Lakers will need to run a thin rotation and get stable performances from the bench, especially on the defensive end. New Orleans is one of the deepest teams in the league, giving them a significant advantage if LA's bench no-shows.
The winner will face receive the no. 7 seed and face Denver, while the loser will face the winner of Kings-Warriors for the no. 8 seed.
