The Lakers defeat the Pacers 123-109 to win the NBA In-Season Tournament, led by Anthony Davis.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers 123-109 on Saturday night to win the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament. Anthony Davis recorded career highs of 41 points and 20 rebounds.
LeBron James, the tournament MVP, finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Austin Reaves added 28 points and D’Angelo Russell contributed 13 points. Davis had five assists in addition to being 16 of 24 from the field.
For Indiana, Tyrese Haliburton finished with 20 points and 11 assists, Bennedict Mathurin added 20 points, and Aaron Nesmith added 15.
This game was the only one in the tournament that doesn’t count in the standings, but there was still plenty on the line. In addition to taking home a trophy, Lakers players on standard two-way contracts each made $500,000 and the Pacers received $200,000 apiece. Players on two-way deals take home half those amounts.
Though the stakes weren’t as high as they would be for a playoff, the tournament and the title game had that kind of atmosphere in front of the pro-Lakers crowd.
It’s also another trophy for James, who has won four NBA championships, and he made no secret of his desire to add the title to his resume.
In the Pacers, the Lakers found an equally energized team led by an emerging star in this league. Haliburton became a familiar face during this tournament, but the Lakers limited his damage on Saturday. With Reddish handling most of the defensive duties on Haliburton, he often passed to a teammate rather than try to force the action.
The Lakers led most of the game, though Indiana kept in striking distance until Los Angeles went on a 15-3 run late in the fourth quarter to turn in a 100-96 lead into a 115-99 advantage.
Basketball greats Shaquille O’Neal and Julius Erving, football greats Tim Brown and Shannon Sharpe, former tennis player Steffi Graf, former boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., chef Bobby Flay, and rapper Flavor Flav were among those present. A’ja Wilson, the MVP of the WNBA Finals, and other members of the two-time champion Las Vegas Aces also observed.
