At least the Pelicans have a mulligan in play-in tournament this time

NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Pelicans should feel right at home in the NBA play-in tournament.

They’ll be playing in it for a third consecutive season after a humbling 124-108 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday afternoon in the Smoothie King Center. The outcome forced a rematch between No. 7 seed New Orleans (49-33) and No. 8 seed Los Angeles (47-35) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Smoothie King Center.

The Pelicans, who were returning home after an eye-opening four-game sweep of road games against Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento and Golden State last week, just needed to beat the Lakers to bypass the play-in and go straight to the playoffs as the No. 6 seed.

But they never led in a game that was decided shortly after halftime.

“We let a really good opportunity slip away,” New Orleans coach Willie Green said.

Even with a loss, the Pelicans would have been able to get a much-needed break of five days if Phoenix had lost at Minnesota.

But the Suns took care of their business, defeating the Timberwolves nearly as easily as the Lakers dispatched the Pelicans and snatched away the No. 6 spot by tying the Pelicans and leap frogging them thanks to a 2-1 edge in the season series.

The Pelicans welcomed back second-leading scorer Brandon Ingram from a 12-game absence due to a hyper-extended knee and he looked pretty good in scoring 13 points in 23-plus minutes. But LeBron James and former Pelican Anthony Davis demonstrated a playoff-like, focus, intensity and efficiency that the home team could not come close to matching.

It was reminiscent of the Lakers’ dominance in a 133-89 rout of New Orleans in the semifinals of the NBA Play-in Tournament on December 7 in Las Vegas. James seemed determined to win that first such gimmick tournament, which L.A. did by beating Indiana in the final, the stakes were greater Sunday.

In the game in Vegas the Lakers led by as many as 44 points; on Sunday their biggest lead was 32. On the other hand, the Pelicans actually led by five points at one point in Vegas; on Sunday they never led.

L.A. won the season series 3-1 and appears to be a strong favorite going into the next meeting.

“We knew what the deal was,” Green said. “They came out, they were the aggressors. When you are the aggressive team, things go your way, and they had us on our heels all game.”

James is 39 years old, is playing in his 21st NBA season and had a triple-double Sunday. He wasn’t his team’s leading scorer (former Pelican Davis scored 30), and he was joined as his team’s leading rebounder by Davis (with 11), but his assist total (17) was nine more than the next-highest in the game (by Pelicans forward Zion Williamson).

“He can always eat when he decides to,” L.A. coach Darvin Ham said of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, “but he’s setting a table for everyone else.”

Speaking of Williamson, James spent much of his nearly 38 minutes defending a player that is 16 years his junior and whose elite all-around play triggered New Orleans’ surge going into Sunday.

Though Williamson matched his eight assists with his rebounds, his all-around game fell short with a mere 12 points on 4 of 13 shooting.

“That’s a huge challenge that (James) took on,” Ham said. “(Williamson) is a great basketball player – the physicality in which he plays with, his athleticism, his ability to finish with either hand around the basket and constantly play downhill.

“It sends a message to our team: that a guy with LeBron’s stature and his tenure can step up to the plate to defend a young superstar like that.”

After an 82-game grind, a better-than-usual 42 games in which the team’s preferred starting lineup was in tact and a better record than last season by seven wins, all the Pelicans (49-33) have to show for all that is a play-in mulligan.

Two years ago they were the No. 9 seed and had to win two elimination games – at home against the Spurs and on the road against the Clippers to claim the No. 8 seed in the playoffs. They managed the difficult sweep and gave top-seeded Phoenix a battle for six games.

Last season they were the No. 9 seed and saw their season come to an abrupt end when No. 10 Oklahoma City came into the SKC and beat them in an elimination game.

But by virtue of playing in the 7-8 game, they can afford to lose and get a second crack at advancing into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. That second opportunity would come in the form of a home game against the loser of Tuesday’s late game between No. 9 Golden State and No. 10 Sacramento on Friday.

The preference, of course would be to beat the Lakers on Tuesday, zip right into the playoffs and have a few days to get ready for a best-of-seven series – albeit against defending champion Denver – that will open on the road.

But that could be advantageous. New Orleans is a franchise-record 28-14 on the road this season and just 21-19 at home, having lost six of their last seven in the SKC.

James said he’s treating the rematch as the back end of “a two-game playoff series.”

“The game here is going to be extremely hard, extremely difficult, extremely physical,” he said. “I’ve always known that when you get into a playoff series, the team that has multiple days to sit on that film and sit with that taste in their mouth of defeat, they are going to be ready for us and we need to come in with the same sense of urgency that we had this previous game.”

The Lakers are clearly able to adopt that sense of urgency. The Pelicans are a work in progress in that regard.