NEW ORLEANS — The Lakers are going to have to defend against CJ MCollum, the Pelicans guard who races into three-point shots from all angles on the court.

The Lakers are going to have to defend against forward Brandon Ingram, their former first-round draft pick, who has become one of the toughest shot-makers in the NBA.

The Lakers are going to have defend against Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III on the perimeter, two capable three-point shooters. They’re also going to have to defend against Zion Williamson, the explosively athletic big man with an uncommon combination of size, speed and strength.

You’d think that would be enough to deal with before their play-in tournament game with the Pelicans on Tuesday at the Smoothie King Center. Instead, the Lakers might have to defend against something else.

Complacency.

After dominating the Pelicans on Sunday during a 124-108 victory in a game both teams desperately wanted to win, some NBA followers, such as ESPN’s Mike Greenberg, have suggested the Lakers lose on purpose Tuesday to avoid a first-round matchup with the defending champion Denver Nuggets.

Greenberg, on ESPN’s “Get Up” show, said the risk of falling into a single-elimination game against either the Golden State Warriors or Sacramento Kings was less than the risk of playing Denver in the first round — acting as if the Lakers can simply beat the Pelicans on Tuesday should they want to.

The winner between the Lakers and the Pelicans will open the playoffs Saturday at Denver. The loser of that game will play the winner of Sacramento-Golden State at home on Friday with a chance to face top-seeded Oklahoma City.

While there’s some natural looking ahead that occurs when the playoff bracket is set, players such as LeBron James knew the Lakers were basically in a playoff series they needed to win the first two games on the road.

And after winning road Game 1s last year in the first and second rounds, the Lakers lost Game 2 twice — neither being particularly close.

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