It was all jubilation for the Los Angeles Lakers in Las Vegas on Saturday night as they defeated the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in the In-Season Tournament final to win the inaugural NBA Cup.
The Lakers went unbeaten in the tournament, and 38-year-old superstar LeBron James was crowned as the competition’s first-ever most valuable player (MVP) after his stellar performances throughout the In-Season Tournament.
Year 21: The inaugural In-Season Tournament MVP pic.twitter.com/870LSPzUbl
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 10, 2023
However, at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, it was Anthony Davis that spurred Los Angeles to victory with a dominant 41-point and 20-rebound performance to go along with five assists and four blocks.
The first ever In-Season Tournament Champions: Your Los Angeles Lakers pic.twitter.com/qst33lhZm2
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 10, 2023
They led all through the game, heading into the half with a 65-60 lead. The second half started in the same fashion, but Indiana remained steadfast and refused to go down without a fight as they clawed back within three points in the middle of the fourth quarter at 102-99. Darvin Ham made some adjustments, and the Lakers went on a 13-0 run to take it to 115-99 and put the game to sleep.
James also finished with a double-double, tallying 24 points, 11 rebounds, and two steals. Austin Reaves, who played despite his illness, continues his push for sixth-man of the year honours as he poured in 28 points off the bench, while D’Angelo Russell finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists.
IST ???? pic.twitter.com/8oZiaK6pJN
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 10, 2023
Indiana’s league-best offense, led by young point guard Tyrese Haliburton, did not have an answer for the Lakers’ bully-ball approach throughout the game. Their usual free-flowing attack, which knocked out big guns like the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics, wasn’t on display as Los Angeles ensured they dictated the mode of the game.
Haliburton finished with 20 points and 11 assists on 8-of-14 shooting from the field. Bennedict Mathurin (20 points), Aaron Nesmith (15 points), and Isaiah Jackson (10 points) all added substantial numbers off the bench, while Obi Toppin could only manage 13 points in 29 minutes.
Although the contest doesn’t add to the regular season games, it sets a precedent for how much competition would be witnessed in the playoffs and caps off the intense and high-level atmosphere of the NBA In-Season Tournament.
