Lakers vs. Pelicans Prediction With NBA 2K24 – LeBron Goes Off

According to NBA 2K24’s Simulation, The Los Angeles Lakers will comeback to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 128-127. While the Pelicans took a nice lead late in the game, LeBron James and the Lakers dominated in the final minutes to secure a victory. For this game setup, we used NBA 2K24 (New Gen)’s updated rosters, set the difficulty to Hall of Fame, and Quarters to 12 minutes.

With less than three minutes remaining, the Pelicans had a six point lead (121-115). However, in the final 2:37, the Lakers’ fired off on all cylinders, scoring 11 unanswered points. Down 126-121, McCollum scored back-to-back threes in a 30 second span, helping New Orleans reclaim their lead. But, LeBron James and the Lakers managed to make the game-winning buzzer beater with less than six seconds remaining. With the win, the Lakers advance to the NBA playoffs, and will not have to play an additional Play-In game.

LeBron James definitely took home the game ball after a dominant performance against the Pelicans. He finished the game with 46 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists. Teammate Anthony Davis followed with a strong supporting performance, scoring 29 points and earning 10 rebounds. Additionally, it’s worth noting that Taurean Prince and Rui Hachimura converted all of their three-point attempts throughout the contest.

Pelicans’ Shooting Guard CJ McCollum ended up scoring the most points (46), but it wasn’t enough to help the Pelicans advance. Brandon Ingram also played well, earning 33 points in the losing effort. Additionally, Jose Valanciunas played a solid team-role, earning 15 rebounds and 7 assists along with 11 points. Unfortunately, the Pelicans ended up going home the losing team.

However, not all is lost for the Pelicans, though it just means their road to the postseason gets a bit tougher. With the loss, they’d technically need to play the winner of the No. 9 and N0. 10 seed matchup. If they can win that game, they’ll advance to the postseason.

Additionally, check out some of the game stats:

For the most part, both teams ended up with similar stats. Both teams recorded 13 TOs, but the Pelicans recorded a whopping 7 steals. However, the Lakers recorded less team fouls, more blocks, and a higher FG percentage.

Regardless of whether or not the prediction felt accurate, it sure was a blast to watch. Unless you’re a fan of either team, a close contest makes for a much more entertaining game to watch. However, if you’re a Lakers or Pelicans fan, chances are you might be biting your nails tonight. Both teams have a good shot of winning tonight’s game, but it seems NBA 2K24 prefers the Lakers over the Pelicans.

That wraps up our NBA 2K24 Simulated prediction of the Lakers vs. Pelicans Play-In game, which takes place tonight at 7:30 pm ET/4:30 pm PT. We hope you enjoyed our simulation. Furthermore, keep an eye out for more simulated predictions throughout the NBA playoffs, we hope to run all postseason games through 2K’s latest basketball sim.