The Los Angeles Lakers will face the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night at the Smoothie King Center as part of the Western Conference Play-In Tournament NBA bracket.
It's the second meeting between the two sides in three days, but this time, the stakes are much higher. A spot in the 2024 NBA Playoffs is on the line.
The Pelicans dropped to the Play-In Tournament spots after losing to the Lakers 124-108 in the regular season finale. The Phoenix Suns won their final game, leapfrogging the Pelicans in the Western Conference standings.
The Lakers, meanwhile, jumped to the No. 8 seed on the final day. LeBron James and co. will be fancy their chances of advancing to the playoffs, given they outscored the Pelicans by 57 points this season.
The winner of this clash will be the seventh seed in the playoffs and will face the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets, in the first round. The loser, meanwhile, will battle it out with the winner of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchup to determine the No. 8 seed.
Below, GOAL brings you everything you need to watch the Pelicans vs Lakers game today.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Los Angeles Lakers: Date & Tip-off Time
The New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers will face off in a highly anticipated NBA Play-in Tournament encounter on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 p.m. PT at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
| Date | Tuesday, April 16, 2024 |
| Time | 7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 p.m. PT |
| Arena | Smoothie King Center |
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana |
How to watch the Pelicans vs Lakers NBA match online - TV Channels & Live Streams
The Pelicans vs. Lakers game will air on TNT. The game can also be streamed on Max. To stream the game, Max is the best streaming service for basketball fans.
Plans for Max start at under $10 a month. Max With Ads is available for $9.99/month ($99.99/year), and ad-free plans are priced at $15.99/month ($149.99/year) or $19.99/month ($199.99/year).
New Orleans Pelicans vs Los Angeles Lakers Team News
New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans saw the long-awaited return of Brandon Ingram on Sunday. The eighth-year forward had missed the Pelicans' previous 12 games due to a left knee contusion. As a result, the Pelicans did not report any injuries on Monday afternoon.
Forward Zion Williamson is averaging 23 points per game on 57.4% shooting, and he has appeared in a career-high 69 games this year.
Pelicans probable lineup: G – C.J. McCollum, G – Herb Jones, C – Jonas Valanciunas, F – Trey Murphy III, F – Zion Williamson
Los Angeles Lakers
The health of several Lakers stars is still up in the air, particularly with center Anthony Davis, who left Sunday's 124-108 blowout victory against the Pelicans in the final minutes with back spasms. He had previously claimed that he would "no doubt" be suiting up for tomorrow's 7-8 Western Conference play-in tournament contest against the New Orleans Pelicans but is officially listed as questionable on the Lakers injury report.
His fellow Lakers All-Star, 39-year-old forward LeBron James, is considered probable to play due to a left ankle peroneal tendinopathy. Rookie guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (lumbar disc surgery), reserve forward Jarred Vanderbilt (right midfoot sprain), and backup big man Christian Wood (left knee surgery) are all long-term absentees and are definitely out.
If Davis and LeBron play, Los Angeles will enter this contest in New Orleans as favourites. James is averaging 25.6 PPG, 8.2 APG and 7.2 RPG while shooting 54% from the field and 41.3% from 3-point range. Davis is putting up 24.6 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 3.5 APG and 2.4 blocked shots per game. Both superstars have appeared in at least 70 games for the first time since the 2017-18 season, which has somewhat taken a toll on their fitness.
LA Lakers probable lineup: G – D’Angelo Russell, G – Austin Reaves, C – Anthony Davis, F – Rui Hachimura, F – LeBron James
Head-to-Head Records
Based on the regular season series between the two sides, the LA Lakers are more likely to get a playoff spot over the New Orleans Pelicans. The Lakers won the season series 3-1, will all wins being blowouts - 133-89, 139-122 and 124- 108. Here are the results of the last five meetings between the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers in NBA matchups:
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 10/02/24 | Los Angeles Lakers 139-122 New Orleans Pelicans | NBA |
| 01/01/24 | New Orleans Pelicans 129-109 Los Angeles Lakers | NBA |
| 08/12/23 | Los Angeles Lakers 133-89 New Orleans Pelicans | NBA |
| 15/03/23 | New Orleans Pelicans 108-123 Los Angeles Lakers | NBA |
| 16/02/23 | Los Angeles Lakers 120-102 New Orleans Pelicans | NBA |