NBA Playoffs: Lakers beat Pelicans, who will host Warriors or Kings

The Golden State Warriors don’t yet know if they’re playing on Friday night. In order to keep their season alive, the Dubs have to go through a pesky Sacramento Kings team tonight, on the road. But if the Warriors win that game, and book a spot in the second and final round of the Play-In tournament, they now know who they’ll play: the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Los Angeles Lakers went on the road and bested the Pelicans in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament opener on Wednesday, winning a thrilling game 110-106. The clutch win punched a ticket to the playoffs for LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the rest of the purple and gold, who will be the No. 7 seed and take on the defending-champion Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.

With the loss, the Pelicans will now host a single-elimination game on Friday night, with the winner locking up the No. 8 seed and a date with the Oklahoma City Thunder. They’ll head to their TVs to watch the Kings host the Warriors, to see who they’ll face.

The Dubs and Pelicans have played three times this year, and the results have been all over the place. The Warriors had one of their best wins of the season against New Orleans, obliterating the Pelicans 130-102 on the road in just the fourth game of the year. The Warriors also had one of their worst losses of the season against the Pels, losing a January home game by an embarrassing score of 141-105. Most recently, the Warriors dropped a home thriller against the Pelicans on Friday, 114-109.

Golden State also might be facing a compromised Pelicans team. Late in Tuesday’s loss, as New Orleans was mounting what ultimately proved to be a failed comeback, Zion Williamson suffered a lower body injury, and headed to the locker room. Obviously we all hope that Williamson is okay, and able to play on Friday — but if he isn’t, it’s a huge break for the Dubs.

The time has not yet been announced for Friday’s game, but it will be broadcast on TNT.

Now it’s on the Warriors to book their ticket there...