The NBA In-Season Tournament will end on Saturday, December 9 in Las Vegas, following two thrilling semifinal meetings on December 7.
Tyrese Haliburton's heroics and an explosive fourth quarter helped the Indiana Pacers overcome the Milwaukee Bucks to become the first team to go to the championship. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers made an impression on the New Orleans Pelicans in the second game of the evening, winning with 30 points on 75% shooting in just 22 minutes.
This run has been a national introduction for Haliburton, the 23-year-old All-Star point guard with the Indiana Pacers who had previously flourished in relative anonymity. James, 38, has served as yet another reminder of how deadly he can still be in large-scale sporting events.
How did both teams get to the final:
Indiana Pacers-
The game between the Bucks and Pacers was decided in the closing seconds to start the evening in Las Vegas.
The main matchup of the day was between Damian Lillard of the Bucks, who has been gradually settling into his new squad, and Tyrese Haliburton, who has been on fire in every tournament game this season. With just one turnover in his 27 points and 15 assists, Haliburton had another performance to remember. After a slow start, Lillard rediscovered his rhythm in the second half, scoring 20 points on five made shots four of which were threes and six made free throws.
Doing what he does best, Giannis Antetokounmpo dominated the paint. Myles Turner had virtually no space to stop him, but the Pacers centre answered with a spurt of his own, scoring 26 points on 50% shooting.
The Pacers' lead was crushed by the Bucks in the third quarter and going into the last 12 minutes of play. Then, Haliburton—a strong contender for In-Season Tournament MVP—rose to the situation, making no-look dimes, alley-oops from half-court, and everything in between, inspiring the team to an incredible run that put them well ahead of their rivals.
Even though the Bucks have four players who score over 15 points, their bench could be a liability because they only put up 13 points overall, seven of which came in the second half. The Pacers' offence was far more well-rounded, particularly in the fourth quarter, while the Bucks were unable to muster any sort of sustained offensive effort.
Los Angeles Lakers-
The Los Angeles Lakers' ability to score as a second unit and their roster's ability to shoot well from three-point range had to be important factors in their prospects of defeating the New Orleans Pelicans. They had already made eleven three-point field goals at halftime, more than their average of 10.2 per game.
The Lakers' outstanding defence, led by Anthony Davis, who finished with two steals and two blocks, completely shut down the Pelicans, who had an offensive line that included Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum. Consequently, just two Pelicans players overall had a field goal percentage of above 50% at the end of the game, and none of them had more than 15 points.
The Lakers had already widened their lead to 39 points by the start of the fourth quarter, making it extremely difficult for the Pelicans to rally in the remaining 12 minutes. To make matters worse, Los Angeles' bench outperformed its opponents despite this, as the team finished with a 44-point differential.
The Lakers performed admirably overall, but LeBron James' old-school style of play highlighted how crucial the game was to both him and the group. His effort was even more remarkable because he led the Lakers in assists (8) and scoring (30) in just 22 minutes of action. To put this in context, LeBron would have likely scored 45 points and dished out 12 assists if he had played his typical 33 minutes per night. However, it is also possible that he would have scored even more.
Who will win in Vegas:
The two teams will compete in the In-Season Tournament championship on Saturday, December 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, after putting up strong shows in their semi final matches.
Coach Rick Carlisle of the Pacers complimented the new event despite numerous worries about how the players would adjust, pointing out the increased attention clubs have received this early in the season.
"This time of the year, games don’t have this kind of exposure, attention, interest. So it’s a fascinating time in the history of the league."
With a flawless flow, and the ideal balance of athleticism, IQ, and spacing on the court, the Indiana Pacers possess the finest offensive line in the NBA.
The Pacers' starting lineup is more than just their finest player, with Haliburton leading the way as a potential young talent. Turner is a superb long-range shooter and shot-blocking centre, and Bennedict Mathurin is developing into an accomplished and versatile scorer. Additionally, Buddy Hield provides them with the accurate shooting they'll need to exploit holes in the Lakers' defence.
As this is going on, two-way players Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith, as well as agile dunker Obi Toppin, who is growing as a more valuable player every game, are demonstrating that bench guys like them still have value.
As demonstrated by their performances against the Bucks and the Celtics, this club appears to have added a new degree of defensive consistency to their system with increased playing time. Winning the championship game can be the turning point for the team, even though there are still many steps ahead to be taken.
The Lakers still boast one of the best 15-man locker rooms in the NBA, even after a rather poor start to the season. Although James and Davis are the team's main players, the rest of their squad is equally dangerous. Austin Reaves, who was benched earlier in the season, has shown to be a fantastic sixth man, and D'Angelo Russell, despite his inconsistency, can have a big scoring night.
Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, Rui Hachimura, Christian Wood, and Jarred Vanderbilt are among the other players on the team who provide extremely important tools for the team's success, whether it's interior defence, spot-up shooting, or just versatility on both ends of the court. They have every chance to defeat the Pacers just as easily as they defeated the Pelicans earlier if they all perform to the best of their abilities.
Los Angeles Lakers vs The Indiana Pacers for the inaugural NBA In Season Tournament Championship is at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at 8:30 PM ET.