NBA Playoffs 2024: Lakers Win No.7 Seed, Kings Through To Next Play-in Round As Warriors Crash Out
Le Bron James scored 23 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 110-106 to reach the NBA playoffs.
James, 39, also chipped in with nine rebounds, nine assists and three steals to help the Lakers seal the seventh seed in the Western Conference.
The Lakers face defending champions the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.
"We've got a good group going right now," James said.
"We understood after how we had played the last game that they were going to give us everything they had - the whole kitchen sink and the toolbox - and they did that.
"So it was a gritty win for us and we punched our ticket to the postseason."
James is set to feature in the playoffs for the 17th time in his 21-season career.
Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings ended the Golden State Warriors' hopes of appearing in the playoffs with a 118-94 win.
Stephen Curry top-scored for the Warriors with 22 points but Klay Thompson - who has averaged 17.9 points a game this season - failed to score in 32 minutes.
The Warriors have missed the playoffs three times in the past five seasons.
Keegan Murray hit eight three-pointers and ended the match with 32 points and nine rebounds for the Kings, while De'Aaron Fox added 24 points.
The Kings meet the Pelicans on Saturday, with the winner securing the eighth seed and the final playoff spot in the West.
Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson suited up together for potentially the final time, as the Golden State Warriors crashed out of the NBA play-in tournament at the first hurdle. The Sacramento Kings instead progressed in the West. They'll face the New Orleans Pelicans for the final spot in the playoffs after the Los Angeles Lakers claimed the No.7 seed.
The Golden State Warriors are out of the NBA play-in tournament at the first hurdle, falling 118-94 against the Sacramento Kings.
Sacramento will now face the New Orleans Pelicans in the next round after the Los Angeles Lakers secured their No.7 seed in the playoffs proper with a 110-106 victory.
Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson may have played together for the final time, as one of the NBA's all-time great dynasties potentially ends.
The trio that won four NBA championships, and put up the best regular season in history (73-9), could split up this summer as Thompson is a free agent. If he goes out on the loss to the Kings, it will certainly be a sour one to live long in his memory.
The 34-year-old went scoreless on Tuesday night, missing all 10 of his shots. Curry put up 22 points but it wasn't enough for the Warriors, who trailed by only four at half-time but went on to get blown out by 24.
Each of the Kings' starters scored in the double digits, with Keegan Murray leading the way on 32 to seal the win and a place in the next round, as a gulf in class emerged between two teams that finished the regular season with equal records.
It was also a measure of revenge for Sacramento, who agonisingly lost a seven-game shootout in the first round of last season's playoffs against the same opponents. Now, the Warriors will be forced to watch the postseason from home for the third time in five years.
Reflecting on an awful night for his team, particularly Thompson, coach Steve Kerr was clear in his desire for the offseason: "We need Klay back. I know he had a tough night tonight. There’s business at hand and that has to be addressed. But what Klay has meant to this franchise, as good as he is, we want him back."
