A single victory — or one more loss by the Lakers — will stamp the Pelicans’ ticket to the play-in tournament. It sure feels like a forgone conclusion. However, the thought inside of the New Orleans locker room should be to win as many of the remaining four games as possible.
The Spurs sit just a game behind the Pelicans. That needs to remain the margin at a minimum. If both teams go on to finish the regular season tied in the standings, San Antonio would get to host the 9 versus 10 play-in tournament game thanks to earning the tiebreaker after notching the season series (3-1).