On Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers climbed to the eighth seed after narrowly edging the Memphis Grizzlies. However, the concerning bit was how hard the Lakers had to fight to overcome a shorthanded home team that was without 13 of its active players and on a three-game losing streak. What was supposed to be a game where they rested their stars in the fourth quarter turned out to be a super-matchup where both LeBron James and Anthony Davis had to clock in for more than 41 minutes to secure a narrow 123-120 win.

With a crucial finale against the New Orleans Pelicans looming, head coach Darvin Ham opted to play LBJ for almost the entire game. A song we have heard all season. James, who was supposed to be on a minutes restriction at the beginning of the season, has instead been bailing the Lakers out night after night. However, the recently extended stretch of minutes, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, would be something to worry about. In a conversation with SiriusXM NBA Radio, Buha said, “With LeBron, we have seen when he goes through these stretches of high minutes, it does start to affect him”.

“It’s a concern for sure. How much can you rely on LeBron, honestly only time will tell cause he has held up to this point but I think they have definitely relied on him more than they probably should have to up to this point.” James and AD combined for 73 points out of the team’s total of 123 to help the team snap a two-game losing streak.

Now, with the finals on Sunday, the Lakers will aim for a stronger showing to avoid the dreaded win-or-go-home Game 2 of the play-in tournament between No. 9 and No. 10.

The high-stakes regular season finale

The New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Lakers will meet for the fourth and final time this season at the Smoothie King Center. Both teams have a lot riding on the results of the contest. The Pelicans are in dire need of a win to clinch the coveted No. 6 seed and secure an automatic playoff berth in the Western Conference. On the other hand, the Lakers have an opportunity to host a play-in tournament game and avoid the precarious single-elimination matchup between the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds.

The Pelicans have come prepared with some major reinforcements for the game. Brandon Ingram is back from his left knee contusion for the final regulation game, marking his first game since hyperextending his knee against the Orlando Magic. New Orleans has gone 7-5 in the absence of Ingram’s 20.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. With Ingram back in the lineup, the Pelicans are expected to receive a major boost on both ends of the floor. However, the Lakers have won five of their last seven games overall and five of their last seven games against the Pelicans.

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Update: The Lakers ended up winning the game 124-108 against the Pelicans and locked in at 8th seed while the Pelicans were one above them. Brandon Ingram and LeBron James, both, featured in the game and scored 13 points and 28 points – 11 assists respectively. As it stands, both of them will face each other again, this time in the play-ins.