The 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament got going Tuesday evening with a doubleheader in the Western Conference. Hosting LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, the New Orleans Pelicans made a strong comeback in the fourth quarter. An injury to Zion Williamson late in the game changed the dynamics as Los Angeles won by the score of 110-106.
In the night cap, the Sacramento Kings absolutely manhandled the Golden State Warriors at home. De’Aaron Fox and Keon Ellis did their thing in the 118-94 win. Meanwhile, all-time great guard Klay Thompson went scoreless for the Warriors on 0-of-10 shooting from the field.
Here is a look at 10 winners and losers from Tuesday’s NBA Play-In Tournament action as Los Angeles advanced to take on the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, New Orleans will host Sacramento Friday in a battle for the eighth seed and the right to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Winner: D’Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers needed another player to step up behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis if they were to advance through the NBA Play-In Tournament Tuesday night against New Orleans. That’s exactly what D’Angelo Russell did. He hit multiple three-pointers early on to keep Los Angeles afloat as the Pelicans were opening up a first quarter lead. When all was said and done, the enigmatic point guard connected on 7-of-14 from the field. That included hitting on five three-pointers en route to scoring 21 points. The Lakers also finished plus-17 in Russell’s 37 minutes of action.
Loser: Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
If this was indeed Klay Thompson’s final game as a member of the Warriors, it is not the way the four-time NBA champion wanted to go out. A lot has been made of Thompson’s regression this season. It even led to him being relegated to bench duties. The guard then responded by shooting 0-of-10 from the field with zero points. Talk about a meltdown of epic proportions for the future Hall of Famer. It was just some sad stuff.
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Winner: Keon Ellis, Sacramento Kings
With Malik Monk sidelined to injury, the Kings had to rely on this former first-round pick and two-way player from Alabama. Boy, did Ellis come to play big time at home against the Warriors. The 24-year-old guard played a whopping 39 minutes. He added 15 points while hitting on 3-of-4 from three-point range. Ellis also blocked three shots with as many steals as he helped lock down the Splash Brothers in this one. What a story he is right now as Sacramento advances in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Loser: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Remember when four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry dropped 50 points in Game 7 of the Western Conference Playoffs against the Sacramento Kings last year? That seems like a thing of the past. Much like his entire Warriors squad Tuesday night, the all-time great jud did not come to play in Sacramento. Curry scored 22 points. But he also turned the ball over a whopping six times as Golden State continued to play loose with the basketball. It was a common theme for Curry and the Warriors throughout the NBA season. And in reality, it doomed them as they were eliminated in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Winner: Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings
This sophomore was on early and often as his Kings advanced against Golden State in the NBA Play-In Tournament Tuesday night. That included dropping double-digit points in the first quarter as Sacramento opened a nine-point lead through the first 12 minutes. A game that included the vaunted Splash Brothers saw Murray drop a whopping eight three-pointers en route to scoring a team-high 32 points. Sacramento also finished a whopping plus-20 in Murray’s 39 minutes of action.
Loser: Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
Zion Williamson was in domination mode in the second half against the Lakers Tuesday night. The former No. 1 pick from Duke had dropped 40 points with 11 rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes of action. Unfortunately, Williamson also went down with a foot injury. It came with just over three minutes remaining and the game tied at 95. The big man was visibly frustrated as he made his way to the locker room. Following Tuesday’s game, Pelicans head coach Willie Green indicated that Williamson has a sore foot. He’ll undergo further testing on Wednesday. For a player who appeared in all of 114 games in his first four NBA seasons, this is just troubling.
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Winner: Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Anthony Davis was not his typical dominating self on offense against the Pelicans Tuesday night. He shot just 6-of-16 from the field and turned the ball over three times. The mid-range shot was not working. Meanwhile, Zion Williamson was having his way against AD. Even then, he did the other things that counted. That included giving the Lakers six extra opportunities via offensive rebounds. All said, Davis tallied 15 rebounds in the four-point win. You can’t tell us that didn’t impact the Lakers in what was ultimately a four-point win.
Loser: Los Angeles Lakers bench
Gabe Vincent actually stepped up for the Lakers to score nine points in 18 minutes off the bench. Given how his first season in Southern California has gone, that was somewhat of a surprise. However, it was the rest of the Lakers’ relatively short bench that struggled against New Orleans. Taurean Prince, Spencer Dinwiddie and Jaxson Hayes combined to shoot 3-of-11 from the field for eight points. That might work against New Orleans in the NBA Play-In Tournament. But it won’t in a best-of-seven versus the reigning champion Nuggets.
Winner: De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
A total of 36 minutes of action. One turnover. That was the difference as Sacramento blew out Golden State in Tuesday’s play-in. Fox was nearly perfect with the ball while Curry turned the ball over one time for the Warriors. One of the most-clutch players in the Association, Fox connected on 11-of-25 shots from the field en route to scoring 24 points. As noted above, it was that one turnover which played a role in Sacramento’s blowout win, too.
Loser: Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans
It’s clear that Brandon Ingram was not healthy leading into the NBA Play-In Tournament. He had missed 12 games ahead of the regular-season finale with a knee injury. Ingram returned on Sunday to record 13 points in just 23 minutes of action. The wing just didn’t have it against his former Lakers team. He shot a mere 4-of-12 from the field with three turnovers in 25 minutes of action, scoring 11 points in the process. New Orleans also finished minus-16 with Ingram on the floor. Ouch!