The Los Angeles Lakers are set to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on the road tonight as part of the NBA's Play-In Tournament. The Lakers are the seventh seed and the Pelicans the eighth seed, with the winner getting the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the second round.
With the Nuggets set to become a heavy favorite against whoever wins the opening round, many fans have theorized that the game doesn't mean a whole lot and the Lakers would be better off ‘tanking' rather than playing to win against the Pelicans. On Tuesday afternoon, Lakers legend Earvin ‘Magic' Johnson fired back at that assertion with an uncharacteristically scathing post on his Twitter account.
The tweet came amid a Golden State Warriors matchup against the Sacramento Kings. A crucial injury update for Anthony Davis and LeBron James was also revealed.
Johnson's message was viewed nearly a quarter of a million times on X Tuesday as fans debated Johnson's sharp, poignant critique of fans who believe in tanking playoff games.
Johnson Roasts Pro-Tanking Fans
The five-time NBA champion did not mince words as he stumped for a Lakers playoff victory and a matchup against the Nuggets in the second round. Johnson reminded fans of the close nature (at times) of the Lakers' matchups vs. Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets this season even though the Lakers were ultimately not successful against them.
I want the Lakers to beat the Pelicans tonight to secure the #7 seed and face the Nuggets. Even though the Lakers lost their four matchups against the Nuggets, games 2, 3, and 4 were all close! It’s ridiculous that I’ve been hearing people think they should intentionally lose to…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 16, 2024
The Lakers are 0-3 against the Nuggets on the season having lost all three games by an average of ten points each.
Lakers vs. Pelicans Preview
The Lakers and Pelicans are starkly different this season in that the Lakers have a much better home record this season than road record and the opposite is true of the Pelicans.
Los Angeles took three of four contests this season against coach Willie Green's Pelicans and are looking to win their fourth of the season on the road at the Smoothie King Center.
LeBron James led the Lakers twice in scoring during the regular season against the Pelicans with games of 34 and 30 points. Anthony Davis led the team in scoring once vs. the Pelicans with 30 points, as did D'Angelo Russell. Zion Williamson paced the Pelicans with a 22.9 points per game average during the four regular season contests.
The Lakers are favored by one point heading into the game, and are just 39-44 against the spread this season while the Pelicans are 44-36.
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