Despite blowing a 18-point lead in the second half, the Los Angeles Lakers made just enough plays down the stretch to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.
With the win over the Pelicans, the Lakers clinched a spot in the playoffs. They’ll face the Denver Nuggets in the opening round.
Some people foolishly thought the Lakers would try to “duck” the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. After all, Denver swept Los Angeles in the Western Conference finals last year.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham, however, made it abundantly clear that his squad isn’t afraid of the defending champions.
In fact, Ham’s postgame speech to the Lakers actually surfaced online.
“Back to 0-0,” Ham said after the win. “We want all the smoke and we ain’t ducking no fades. We’re going to enjoy this one tonight, take tomorrow off, and then we’ll go from there.”
“We want all the smoke and we ain’t ducking no fades” -Darvin Ham after the Lakers win against the Pelicans
Oh boy here we go https://t.co/QgkXW4Urb0
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) April 17, 2024
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Although the Lakers showed some serious flaws in the second half against the Pelicans, star forward LeBron James sounded optimistic about his team’s outlook for the playoffs.
“Tonight we showcased what we were able to do both offensively and defensively,” James said. “We’ve got a good group going right now, good rotation, good plan and guys are coming in ready to go.”
Game 1 between the Lakers and Nuggets is set for this Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET. It’ll be televised on ABC.