The defending champions Los Angeles Lakers face off against the injury riddled New Orleans Pelicans for the final game of the regular season tonight at 8:00 PM EST.

The Lakers are on a roll right now. After a rather hard fought victory against the Rockets, the Lakers had to win their game against the Pacers. With superstars Anthony Davis and LeBron James back into the lineup, the Lakers had a dominant performance against Indiana. Bron and AD combined for a total of 52 points against the Pacers leading them to a 122-115 victory.

With a record tied with the Blazers, the Lakers have to win their game against the Pelicans so they have a chance to avoid the play in tournament.

Just when the Pelicans were looking in for challenging the Spurs for the play in tournament, injuries ravaged the Pelicans with injuries to key players like Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. With them being mathematically out of the play in tournament, the Pelicans will look to give some of their role players a chance to gain some NBA experience against the Lakers.

Predictions

The Lakers are finally seeing their superstars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis back in their lineup and are looking better than ever. With their players locked in on the defensive end of the floor, and given the form they are in, the Lakers are clear favorites in this match-up.

Los Angeles Lakers: Injury updates and lineup prediction

The Lakers are finally getting back to health. They only will be missing two players through injuries. Veteran forward Jared Dudley is sidelined due to knee injury while guard Alex Caruso is out with a foot injury.

The Lakers are tied with the Portland Trail Blazers for the record of 41 wins and 30 losses. They have to win this game against the Pelicans in order to have a chance to avoid the play-in tournament.

Probable Lineups

Dennis Schroder (G)

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Kentavious Caldwell Pope (G)

LeBron James (F)

Anthony Davis (F)

Andre Drummond (C)

New Orleans Pelicans: Injury updates and lineup prediction

The Pelicans will be missing multiple starters against the defending champions. Josh Hart and Steven Adams are sidelined against the Lakers. Starters Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are out with a finger injury and ankle injury, respectively. 

Starting point guard Lonzo Ball is also sidelined with a thumb injury while Wesley Iwundu and James Johnson are questionable against the Lakers.

Probable Lineup

Eric Bledsoe (G)

Naji Marshall (F)

James Johnson (F)

Jackson Hayes (C)

Who will win between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans? Let us know in the comments below.