'Gritty' Lakers set up play-off tie with Nuggets

LeBron James hailed a "gritty" win as the Los Angeles Lakers held off a furious late rally to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 110-106 on April 16, and book a first-round National Basketball Association (NBA) play-off clash with defending champions Denver Nuggets.

The four-time NBA champion scored 23 points with nine rebounds, nine assists and three steals at the Smoothie King Centre to lead Los Angeles in the play-in victory that secured them the seventh seeding in the Western Conference.

The 39-year-old superstar is in the play-offs for the 17th time in 21 seasons and will get another shot at Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, who swept the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals on their way to the title last season.

"We understood after how we had played the last game that they were going to give us everything they had the whole kitchen sink and the toolbox and they did that," said James in reference to their last regular-season game when they beat the Pelicans 124108.