Your Los Angeles Lakers put a beatdown on the New Orleans Pelicans in their semi-final matchup of the NBA In-Season Tournament on Thursday night.
The final score was 133-89, and the Lakers are now just one win away from winning this first-ever edition of the In-Season Tournament.
Pelicans star forwards Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson didn’t play well in the game and took much of the criticism after the fact.
Hall of Fame power forward-turned-Emmy Award-winning NBA analyst Charles Barkley criticized the play of Williamson in particular after the game, saying that he needs to improve.
He scored 13 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting, but looked wholly checked out by the game’s second half, and notched an abysmal -33 plus-minus. He also pulled down two rebounds and dished out three assists. It wasn’t a very good night for the young star, but we have to give some credit to the Lakers’ defense as well.
Williamson’s co-star Ingram didn’t have a great night either, scoring just nine points. He shot 4-13 from the field, and the Lakers clamped down on him throughout the game as well.
The Lakers shut the Pelicans down all night, and they made life very tough on them. LA came into the game knowing how they wanted to attack the New Orleans offense, and they made it a priority from the jump.
It was a great showing from the Lakers on the defensive end of the floor, and we are finally seeing what the front office envisioned when they put this team together over the offseason. LA is healthy for the most part now, and they have looked very solid in their limited time together.
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