LeBron James scored 23 points, nine rebounds, nine assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to clinch a playoff position with a tense 110-106 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday evening.

Contributing 21 points, D’Angelo Russell aided the Lakers to the seventh seed, as they held a commanding lead of up to 18 points during the play-in contest. Anthony Davis showcased his skills with 20 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocked shots for the Los Angeles team.

The Lakers are now set to face off against the second-seeded Denver in the initial round of the playoffs, with the first game scheduled for Saturday in Colorado. The Nuggets currently hold the title of the NBA champions.

Zion Williamson, the standout player for New Orleans, managed to rack up an impressive 40 points on 17-of-27 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds before exiting the game at the 3:13 mark due to an unspecified injury.

Trey Murphy III contributed 12 points for the Pelicans, while Brandon Ingram added 11 to the scoreboard.

New Orleans will have another opportunity to secure a playoff position on Friday night. They will face the victor of the late Tuesday matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings on home turf.

Davis made a crucial basket to put the Lakers ahead by two with 1:23 remaining. Larry Nance Jr. managed to convert one of two free throws shortly after, bringing the Pelicans to within 101-100. Russell then sealed the deal with a pivotal 3-pointer from the corner, giving Los Angeles a four-point advantage with 50.3 seconds left on the clock.

CJ McCollum closed the gap for New Orleans with a swift jumper in the lane, making the score 104-102 with 38.2 seconds remaining. Davis maintained his composure and sunk two free throws with 14.8 seconds to go, securing a four-point lead and repelling the Pelicans’ late charge.

Austin Reaves tallied 16 points, while Rui Hachimura contributed 13 for the Lakers, who shot 41.7 percent from the field and netted 14 of 35 (40 percent) shots from beyond the arc.

New Orleans managed to hit 46.2 percent of their shots, including 9 of 30 (30 percent) from the 3-point line. Jose Alvarado, Herbert Jones, and Nance chipped in with 10 points each.

Although the Lakers held an 18-point lead in the third quarter, Murphy and Alvarado both sank a three-pointer each during a 9-0 run, narrowing the gap to 91-89 with 5:41 left in the game.

New Orleans managed to catch up with the Lakers at 93 when Alvarado tossed an alley-oop pass to Williamson, who dunked it in with authority, tying the game with 3:53 remaining.

In the following play, Williamson scored with a drive to the hoop, evening the score at 95, but unfortunately suffered an injury. Visibly frustrated, he left the court and headed to the locker room.

Los Angeles capitalized on a 10-point lead at halftime, then proceeded with a 10-2 burst to extend their advantage to 73-55. The run was capped off by a basket from Reaves with 6:53 remaining in the third quarter.

Heading into the final quarter, the Lakers were up 83-76.

James and Russell both contributed 15 points each to guide the Lakers to a 60-50 lead at halftime, while Williamson displayed a stellar performance with 20 points and eight rebounds for New Orleans.