After getting the best of the division-rival Phoenix Suns earlier this week, the Los Angeles Lakers have advanced to the next round of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament and will face the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ahead of the matchup against Brandon Ingram and company in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena for a chance to play in the In-Season Tournament Championship on Saturday, the league has informed the 17-time NBA champions that they will not be allowed to wear their black “city edition” edition jerseys for Thursday’s game.
Even though the Lakers would prefer to wear their black jerseys for this game in Las Vegas, the league is preventing it from happening, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
The NBA is preventing the Lakers from wearing their black uniforms because of concerns over the visual contrast between the jerseys and the design of the specialized in-season court the semifinals will be played on at T-Mobile Arena, a source with knowledge of the subject told ESPN.
The Lakers have had a lot of success in their new City Edition jersey during the In-Season Tournament, as they have a perfect 3-0 record while wearing the black uniforms.
However, the Lakers have won every In-Season Tournament game they’ve played thus far anyway, so their success isn’t solely attributed to the fact they’ve worn these jerseys three times during the tournament.
Lakers in-season tournament games
The Lakers’ semifinals game against the Pelicans tips off Thursday night at 6 p.m. PT.
If the Lakers come out on top against Zion Williamson and the Pelicans, the team will advance to the championship round on Saturday. Los Angeles will face the winner of the showdown between Tyrese Haliburton’s up-and-coming Indiana Pacers and the title-contending Milwaukee Bucks led by superstars Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The In-Season Tournament Championship Game is at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena with the first-ever NBA Cup on the line.
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