The year 2020 will be remembered for COVID-19 forcing the world to distance itself, and life changed forever. However, in the world of sports, leagues had to adjust how to operate during a global pandemic. The NBA shortened its season and introduced a play-in do-or-die game for the 8th seed. In 2021, the league built on the innovation by introducing a play-in tournament for the 7-10 seeds in both conferences. After some skepticism, the tournament has proven to be a resounding success in bringing excitement to the regular season. For instance, this year, there was intrigue in the East with four teams separated by a game and a deciding game to determine who would avoid the tournament as the 5th and 6th seed in the finale. In the Western Conference, teams battled to decide who would avoid the tournament, while the others needed wins to get home court in the play-in. In this article, we recap last night’s action from the West Conference.
1. Lakers edge the Pelicans- many critics proclaim that Father Time is undefeated and Lebron will soon have to retire. However, James continues to defy the odds and saves his best breathtaking performances for the postseason run. Lebron ended the regular season playing his most games (71) since joining the Lakers and has averaged 28 points in the last four games. James is 39 years old and playing his 21st season, yet he tallied a near triple-double by scoring 23 points, grabbing nine rebounds and nine assists. Importantly, James dictated the pace of play, attacked the rim, and either finished at the rim or got fouled. The Lakers led by 18 points and appeared in control. The introduction of Jose Alvarado changed the game and brought more pace, while Trevor Murphy made a few three-pointers and Zion Williamson went downhill constantly. It led to a tie game in the fourth quarter with under four minutes left in the game. The Pelicans rally stalled when Zion got injured in the game after grimacing and feeling an injury. Zion had tallied 40 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists to push his team in the comeback. After exiting the game, the Lakers held on for the 110-106 win thanks to a game-sealing corner three by D’Angelo Russell, who scored 21 points and provided six assists. The Lakers triumphed after winning the final regular season game in the same building two days ago and now head to Denver looking for revenge in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals.
2. Dubs ousted by the Kings- The Sacramento Kings wanted revenge against the Warriors after their defeat last season in the first round of the playoffs. The Kings showed they had matured and learned the lessons from last season by attacking the Warriors and feeding off the home crowd. The Kings surged ahead thanks to marksman Keegan Murray finished with 32 points, 8 of 13 from 3-pointers and 10 of 20 overall from the field. However, Johnathan Kaminga kept the Warriors in the game off the bench by making it a close 54-50 halftime score. However, the Kings imposed their will in the second half with De’Aaron Fox scoring 24 points and Murray pacing the frenzied crowd to a 118-94 blowout victory. After the game and a disappointing season, many wonder whether this is the end of the dynastic Warriors, who won 4 championships in a decade. Klay Thompson struggled by going 0 of 10 from the field, is a free agent this off-season, and questions will continue to swirl about whether he will return to the Warriors next season. As for the Kings, they will head to New Orleans to play the Pelicans for the 8th seed spot to play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.