Did Lakers vs Pelicans game script accidentally get aired before game? Debunking viral rumor about play-in tournament

The LA Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans are getting ready to compete in the Western Conference play-in tournament on Tuesday night. The winner will get the seventh seed in the West and play a seven-game series against the Denver Nuggets. However, an error has caught the attention of some of the most observant fans.

Tuesday night will be the first time the two teams will be matched against each other. In their season series, LA has a 2-1 advantage, and they beat them in the In-Season Tournament as well.

However, before the game started, a graphic was shown that eagle-eyed fans spotted. A graphic showing Los Angeles coach Darvin Ham getting ejected was presented. The Athletic's Jovan Buha posted the photo on X and wrote an interesting caption.

"The script has leaked. On the TV pregame," Buha posted.

There's a good chance that there was an error on the graphic while it was being tested. Looking at the clock, the game hadn't started when it appeared, and it was counting down to tipoff.

There's also a possibility that the graphics team was testing it to make sure there weren't any problems.

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NBA analyst begs the Lakers to lose intentionally to the Pelicans

Whichever team wins on Tuesday night between the Lakers and Pelicans will have to face the defending champions. The Nuggets are one of the best teams in the Western Conference, which makes it difficult to play them in a seven-game series.

Before their play-in game against the Pelicans, many have shared that LA should try to aim for the eighth seed. The team with that seed will play an inexperienced OKC Thunder team that finished first in the West.

NBA analyst Mike Greenberg has some favorites in Tuesday night's game as he begged the California-based team to intentionally lose to the Pelicans.

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"Don't win tonight. 'Cause then you walk into a buzzsaw," Greenberg said. "That's what going into Denver to play the Nuggets is. Just the end of your season, immediately."

However, a former star of the franchise, Magic Johnson, said it would be ridiculous to lose intentionally. Johnson wants his former team to excel against the Pels and secure the seventh spot so the roster won't have to play another game.

The team was in the play-in tournament last season and advanced to the Western Conference finals. But they were swept by the Nuggets at that stage, which is why some want LA to intentionally lose.

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