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The New Orleans Pelicans host the Sacramento Kings Friday night in a last-ditch effort at making the NBA playoffs. 

State of play: The winner will move on as the No. 8 seed and face the top-seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.

But it didn't have to be this way. The Pelicans could have clinched a guaranteed spot in the playoffs as the No. 6 seed if they won their final game of the regular season against the Los Angeles Lakers. They lost 124-108.

A couple days later they faced the Lakers in New Orleans again for a shot at the seventh spot in the play-in tournament. They lost that too along with star Zion Williamson, who injured his hamstring.   

Williamson has been ruled out for Friday's crucial game against the Kings.

Reason for hope: The Pelicans won all five matchups against the Kings during the regular season including a 133-100 drubbing in Sacramento. They were without Williamson for that game and at one point led by 50. 

In four of the five wins, the Pels beat the Kings by double digits with their largest margin of victory coming in November when they won by 36.

How to watch: Tipoff is at 8:30pm on TNT. 

New Orleans Pelicans host Sacramento Kings in final bid for spot in NBA playoffs

It's a last-ditch effort as both teams vie for a spot in the playoffs.

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Zion Williamson pulls his jersey up to cover his face while walking across the basketball court. A concerned fellow player looks on.

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="New Orleans Pelicans" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2024/04/16/how-to-watch-pelicans-lakers-nba-play-in" data-vars-content-id="48878b70-54c3-49b2-92e3-920c0e31a68d" data-vars-headline="New Orleans Pelicans host Sacramento Kings in final bid for spot in NBA playoffs" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2024/04/16/how-to-watch-pelicans-lakers-nba-play-in" target="_self">New Orleans Pelicans</a> host the Sacramento Kings Friday night in a last-ditch effort at making the NBA playoffs. Why it matters: It&#x27;s win or go home.

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When Super Bowl LIX kicks off Sunday in New Orleans, it'll be a rematch of one of the more exciting games in recent memory. 

The big picture: The Kansas City Chiefs are trying to make history as the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls, while the Philadelphia Eagles are trying to avenge their 2023 defeat. 

Between the lines: While there won't be a need for Donna Kelce to split her allegiance this time around, fans whose team didn't make the game may still be trying to decide which team is worth rooting for: the dynasty or the dynasty busters.

Illustration of a smirking emoji wearing a Chiefs baseball hat, surrounded by three Super Bowl trophies and word balloons with the words Reid, Mahomes and Taylor Swift in them.

The first Super Bowl in NFL history was in 1967 and it featured the Green Bay Packers versus the Chiefs. KC lost that game, so it's only fitting that a team that played in Super Bowl I should become the first franchise to win three straight. 

Plus, three-peats in professional sports are rare. The NFL has never seen one. The last in the NBA came from 1999–2002; the MLB in 1998–2000 and NHL 1979–1983.

Yes, Taylor Swift is still dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Yes, she will more than likely be in attendance. 

Don't hate on it, embrace it. Swift has single-handedly raised the NFL's profile by becoming a somewhat regular at Chiefs games as she supports her beau. 

Not to mention Paul Rudd, who is a lifelong Chiefs fan and jokingly described watching the team in the Super Bowl as an awful experience. 

Sometimes, fans of a sport don't appreciate just how good a player has been until their prime has passed. 

Don't let that be the case with Mahomes. Since he's been in the league, he's done nothing but win. He's 89-23 as a starter, has two MVPs under his belt and is already a three-time Super Bowl champ. 

The torch from Tom Brady has clearly been passed and Mahomes will be the guy to beat for as long as he chooses to play in the NFL. 

Since he arrived in 2013, Reid hasn't lost a single season as the Chiefs' head coach.

His national profile has also risen substantially with appearances in State Farm and Snickers commercials. 

When winning starts to happen, it's easy to be spoiled. That's not the case for Chiefs Kingdom. 

Fans continue to pack out road games, have made Arrowhead Stadium one of the hardest places to play (8-0 at home this season), and take over the end of the national anthem, declaring each site the "home of the Chieeeeffffssss."

Illustration of a angry emoji wearing an Eagles beanie, holding a red solo cup and a censored hand gesture, with speech bubbles containing Eagles fan catchphrases. 

A ruling class in football is antithetical to our democratic roots.

We're architects of freedom, not fiefdom. We're blue-collar, not blue bloods. We're Gritty, not glamorous.

Kansas City, which even calls its baseball team the Royals, has been spoiled with championships. Philly is looking for its second.

Yes, Reid was wildly successful in his 14 seasons in Philly. But "Big Red" is a turncoat who's switched up since leaving in 2012.

Now, having reaped the spoils of Chiefs championship success, he's moonlighting as a celebrity pitchman, appearing in annoying "Bundlerooski" commercials with Mahomes.

Nick Sirianni has a strong case for surpassing Reid as the Birds' best coach if he beats him in the Super Bowl. 

Sirianni just joined Joe Gibbs and Mike Tomlin as the only head coaches to take their teams to the Super Bowl twice in their first four seasons.

Plus, Reid already has three Super Bowl rings with KC. He could never win the big one in Philly, so he kinda owes us one.

3. Celebrities don't make the Eagles. The Eagles make celebrities

Sure, Philly's got celebrity fans like actor Bradley Cooper and comedian Kevin Hart. But here, you get knighted for simply being devoted.

Case in point: Regular people have been transformed into sports influencers with huge followings.

A struggling author was catapulted to the top of Amazon's best-seller list after A.J. Brown read his book on the sidelines.

Even rapper Gillie Da Kid is enjoying a career renaissance as a hype man thanks to his viral "Blow the Whistle" dance videos.

4. Jalen Hurts deserves it more than Mahomes

Hurts has been doubted, scrutinized and maligned since being drafted in 2020 as Carson Wentz's backup.

Yet all he does is win, as Sirianni said.

Since joining the Eagles, Hurts is 49-27-1 as a starter.

He put together an MVP-caliber season in 2022–23, and just earned his most efficient regular season as a passer this year.

If the Eagles win on Sunday, he'll join an elite list of NFL quarterbacks who have won a college national championship and Super Bowl.

Birds love is encoded in Philly's DNA, and this team is easy to get behind.

Eagles fans eat, sleep and breathe football. And once you're initiated into the club, you're Bird Gang for life.

Players are "invested in the community just like we're invested in them," Philly therapist Lisa Corbin tells Axios. "Being able to share in that joy and vicariously live through those players sets us [apart]."

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Dynasty or dynasty-busters: Which team to root for in Super Bowl LIX

A red NFL helmet, the super bowl trophy and a blue helmet sit on a table

The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles meet for the second time in three years in the Super Bowl. Photo: Peter Casey/Getty Images

When <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Super Bowl LIX" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2025/02/03/super-bowl-live-updates-parties-events-celebrities" data-vars-content-id="a0d73f1c-2123-4f1f-b5f9-22045a420b16" data-vars-headline="Dynasty or dynasty-busters: Which team to root for in Super Bowl LIX" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2025/02/03/super-bowl-live-updates-parties-events-celebrities" target="_self">Super Bowl LIX</a> kicks off Sunday in New Orleans, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="it&#x27;ll be a rematch" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/02/14/super-bowl-lvii-draws-113-million-viewers-up-1-from-2022" data-vars-content-id="a0d73f1c-2123-4f1f-b5f9-22045a420b16" data-vars-headline="Dynasty or dynasty-busters: Which team to root for in Super Bowl LIX" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/02/14/super-bowl-lvii-draws-113-million-viewers-up-1-from-2022" target="_self">it&#x27;ll be a rematch</a> of one of the more exciting games in recent memory. The big picture: The Kansas City Chiefs are trying to make history as the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls, while the Philadelphia Eagles are trying to avenge their <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="2023 defeat" data-vars-click-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWkt79xkd00&amp;ab_channel=NFL" data-vars-content-id="a0d73f1c-2123-4f1f-b5f9-22045a420b16" data-vars-headline="Dynasty or dynasty-busters: Which team to root for in Super Bowl LIX" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWkt79xkd00&amp;ab_channel=NFL" target="_blank">2023 defeat</a>.

The start of the NBA's postseason is nearly here, which means it's time to put the last of your hope in the Pelicans again.

Yes, but: Before the playoffs tip off April 20, eight teams will have to survive the play-in tournament for a shot at postseason glory, and the Pelicans are one of them after Sunday's devastating loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

If they'd won, it would have guaranteed them a spot in the playoffs and marked the Pels' first five-game winning streak of the season and the franchise's second 50-win regular season, the Athletic reports. 

But they didn't. So now, we're back with our familiar friend, the play-in tournament, where the Pelicans will face a familiar foe, the Lakers, on Tuesday night. 

The winner gets the No. 7 seed and will go on to play the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. 

How it works: Teams in the Eastern and Western conferences were seeded No. 1-10, with the six best guaranteed a playoff spot.

Teams seeded No. 7-10 have to play their way in, hence the tournament's name.

Yes, but: If the Pels lose against the Lakers, they've still got a chance to secure the 8th seed in the West.

They'd have to beat the winner of Tuesday night's Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors game.

Between the lines: The Lakers have had the Pelicans' number this season, winning three of their four matchups. That included an early December  drubbing, 133-89, and Sunday's matchup when New Orleans laid an egg. 

The Pelicans' lone win in the regular season series came on New Year's Eve when they won 129-109 in New Orleans. 

How to watch: The play-in games run through April 19.

Watch the Pelicans v. the Lakers on TNT at 6:30pm.

Pelicans to battle Lakers (again) for spot in NBA playoffs

The teams met Sunday in a brutal loss for the Pels.

Zion Williamson reaches toward a basket with a basketball just coming off his fingertips.

Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans drives to the basket against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 14. Photo: Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images

The start of the NBA&#x27;s postseason is nearly here, which means it&#x27;s time to put the last of your hope in the Pelicans again.Yes, but: Before the playoffs tip off April 20, eight teams will have to survive the play-in tournament for a shot at postseason glory, and the Pelicans are one of them after Sunday&#x27;s devastating loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Ross Terrell

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