The Lakers are on the verge of winning the NBA Cup thanks to LeBron James’ masterclass: “He performed as if he wanted it.”

The Lakers are on the verge of winning the NBA Cup thanks to LeBron James’ masterclass: “He performed as if he wanted it.”

James rolled to the hoop after screening for D’Angelo Russell during a horn set while being guarded by Herb Jones, the defensive ace for the New Orleans Pelicans. After pinning Jones to the ground, James was able to grab an Anthony Davis high-low pass.

LeBron James performed a basketball masterclass in front of the entire NBA in Las Vegas, and he received a lot of support from his teammates as they defeated New Orleans 133-89.
This victory advanced the Lakers to the NBA Cup final of the inaugural In-Season Tournament, where Indiana was the only team left to defeat.

“Absolutely fantastic,” Darvin Ham summed up LeBron. He really is the master tone-setter. From the beginning of the game, he set an incredible example for his teammates to follow.

Even though LeBron’s 21st season has been completely unheard of thus far, he managed to boost the ante off Thursday night in Las Vegas.

In only 22 minutes, he scored 30 points on 9 of 12 FGs (4 of 4 3s, 8 of 8 FTs) with eight assists for a +36, making him the only player to reach those milestones in such a short amount of time.

After a performance like that, LeBron stated somewhat humbly, “I’m just trying to lead by example.” “Have selflessness. Make the appropriate offensive and defensive plays, then accept the outcome.

After a dominant first half, the Lakers led 67-54, but they really went into Death Mode in the third quarter, crushing the Pelicans 43-17.

The defense, led by Anthony Davis, erupted, stopping NOP to 7 for 24 shooting (29.2%) plus forcing three turnovers while making 13 of 20 free throws (65%) and 13 of 20 field goals, including four triples, on the other end.

Darvin Ham clarified, “We have a lot of long, agile wings and players who can switch randomly; we can switch deliberately.”

“AD is a huge, huge factor in supporting and stabilizing our defense’s back line, and it lets everyone play freely and aggressively.”

With 31 minutes remaining, Davis led the Lakers and, thanks to the large lead, was able to relax with LeBron and enjoy the fourth quarter while planning for Saturday’s game against Indiana. Davis finished wih 16 points, 15 boards, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.

Ham described him as “the ultimate tone-setter.” “Three charges: his energy, his body sacrificed. He established the tone for us tonight on both sides of the basketball court.”

Both teams rested their starters during the fourth quarter, and he did not play. The Lakers had fully taken over as they defeated the stunned Pelicans 43–17 in the third quarter.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 27 points to lead the Pacers to a 128-119 victory against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first semi-final of this new tournament. The game featured 16 lead changes, including seven in the fourth quarter.

Myles Turner scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Haliburton added 15 assists without committing a foul.

After making an easy basket and drawing a foul for a and-1, he mean-mugged the boisterous audience while flexing his traps.

Indiana, which was sixth on the Eastern Meeting regular-season rankings, had defeated the East-leading Celtics of Boston in the quarterfinals and then outperformed the 2021 NBA champion Bucks, who were paced by two-time MVP of the NBA Giannis Antetokounmpo with 37 points and 10 rebounds.

With an average of more than 128 points per game going into Thursday’s matchup, Haliburton and the Pacers have utilized the tournament as something of a coming-out party. But their dreams of winning an NBA championship have been essentially dashed.

“I think we’re shocking everyone around us right now,” Haliburton declared. “Nobody expected us to be here except for the guys in the locker room.”

The Bucks led 94-91 going into the fourth quarter after outscoring the Pacers 43-28 in the third quarter. Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard scored 20 points in the second half after scoring just four points during the first.

However, with 2:19 remaining in a close fourth quarter, Turner’s put-back layup gave the Pacers a 115–112 advantage. With 49.5 seconds remaining, Haliburton increased the Pacers’ advantage to 122-114 with a layup with a step-back three-pointer.