The Los Angeles Lakers were aware that they would require one more win to go to the first round of the NBA playoffs, even if they prevailed in their regular season finale.

L.A. finished as the eighth seed thanks to LeBron James. The Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 124-108 on the road thanks to the triple-double performance of The King, who finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 17 assists, and Anthony Davis, who had 30 points and 11 rebounds.

The two teams will play again in the NBA Play-In Tournament on Tuesday in New Orleans as a result of L.A.’s victory, which places them as the eighth seed in the Western Conference. In the opening round of the playoffs, the victor of that matchup will play the Denver Nuggets, the reigning champions.

The Lakers dominated from the first tip and jumped out to an early lead, leading 70–53 at the break. Despite the fact that James and Davis took the lead, L.A. received some much-needed supporting scoring. Guard D’Angelo Russell added 19 points, and Austin Reaves ended with 20 points.

The Lakers outscored the Pelicans 68-42 in the paint, making it a mismatch on the inside. When Davis seemed to hurt his back in the fourth quarter, L.A. did had a scare. Before the championship game, he carefully left the floor and headed to the locker room. Davis is expected to play on Tuesday, according to the Lakers.

The western postseason matches have been finalized. In the Play-In Tournament’s clash between the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds, the Sacramento Kings will host the Golden State Warriors.

 In order to proceed to the playoffs as the eighth seed and face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, the winner of that game will face the loser of the Los Angeles vs. New Orleans contest.

Luka Doncic and the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks will take on the fourth-place Los Angeles Clippers in Round 1. In the opposite series, the Phoenix Suns will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Friday marks the end of the NBA Play-In Tournament, and on Saturday the playoffs are supposed to start.