The “NBA Cup” final is here
LeBron James and the Pacers put on a great show
December 8, 2023, 8:44 a.m
Showdown in Las Vegas: The Los Angeles Lakers and the Indiana Pacers will play for the first title of the NBA season on Sunday. The Lakers rush past the hopeless Pelicans in the semifinals. The Pacers surprise the top team Milwaukee.
Led by superstar LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers are reaching for their first title of the season. Thanks to the dominant 133:89 against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Californians have reached the final of the in-season tournament and will play against the Indiana Pacers for the “NBA Cup” on Sunday night. James scored 30 points, five rebounds and eight assists in less than 23 minutes of playing time. The best points scorer in NBA history was mercilessly efficient, but due to his clear lead he was spared in the final quarter.
“If we defend, we have a real chance of winning every game,” said James, now 38, but also urged restraint. “It’s still only December, I’m not going to freak out now. The in-season tournament is great, but it’s still only December. It’s another opportunity to get even better, that’s what we want and we’re excited about it. ” In addition to James, Anthony Davis also impressed for the Lakers with 15 rebounds to go with his 16 points and Austin Reaves, who contributed 17 points off the bench.
In the final game of the tournament being held for the first time, James and Co. face the Pacers. The team from Indiana prevailed 128:119 against the Milwaukee Bucks in the second semifinal, for whom the 37 points from superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo were not enough. “I think we’re shocking the world right now. Nobody expected us to be here except the guys in the locker room,” said Pacers top scorer Tyrese Haliburton, who was his team’s best scorer with 27 points. Indiana is undefeated in the tournament so far.
“We don’t have any Hollywood guys on the team. We just have a lot of people on the team who keep their heads down and work,” said Myles Turner, his team’s second best thrower with 26 points. In the In-Season Tournament, as in the play-offs, the best teams from the East and West play in the final. In the first phase of the tournament, both conferences initially played the quarter-finalists in three groups of five.