LeBron James’ heated on-court interaction with Lakers teammate was seen by live viewers in NBA’s wild win over Pelicans

LOS Angeles Lakers star LeBron James had no patience with his teammates’ mistakes in the final seconds of Tuesday’s 110-106 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Lakers defeated the Pelicans in a play-in tournament thriller to secure the No. 7 seed in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

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Los Angeles led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter.

But the Pelicans mounted a surreal recovery and tied at the end of the match.

Zion Williamson led his team to one of the best performances of his career, ending the night with 40 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

But the 6-foot-5 forward was injured in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, halting NOLA’s momentum.

James, 39, knew the Lakers had the opportunity to deal the final blow to the Pelicans, who tied four times in the final period but never regained the lead.

And then he got really upset when Rui Hachimura apparently got lost on a post-timeout (ATO) play with Los Angeles leading 104-102 and just 38.2 seconds left on the clock.

Hachimura was unable to take D’Angelo Russell’s place on the right wing after the guard cut to the left following the entry pass, leaving that area of ​​the court completely empty.

James then gestured furiously and jumped to show Hachimura that he got the rotation wrong.

The interaction did not escape the NBA Twitterattention.

“Rui wasn’t paying attention, Bron told him to leave for like 5 seconds haha,” wrote a fan.

“LeBron is going to beat Rui for not cutting the time,” added another.

“Rui or D’Lo didn’t hear the play, LeBron shouldn’t have to yell at you guys to go the other way man,” said a third.

“Bron yelling at Rui LMFAO,” wrote one.

The Lakers ended up ruining the play after wasting almost 10 seconds to get their positioning right.

The possession ended with James double-teaming and launching an aerial ball.

However, Anthony Davis rescued them by grabbing the ball before being fouled by Herb Jones on a putback attempt, resulting in two free throws for Los Angeles.

Davis then knocked down both freebies, effectively ending the game.

James finished the matchup with 23 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, three steals and two blocks.

But the 20-time All-Star recorded just eight points on 18.2% shooting in the second half.

The Lakers will face the Denver Nuggets, defending NBA champions who defeated Los Angeles in last season’s Western Conference Finals, in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans will face the Sacramento Kings – who defeated the Golden State Warriors in the play-in matchup between the 9-10 teams – on Friday for the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs.

The winner of the Pelicans-Kings contest will face the West’s top seed, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the postseason.