The National Basketball Association’s (NBA) reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers have been crowned the inaugural champions of the NBA’s in-season tournament.
The Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in the finals of the 2023-2024 NBA In-Season Tournament at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Tuesday (June 10).
With the victory, the Lakers lifted the in-season trophy, a cup competition introduced for the first time this season.
The Lakers won all seven games they played in the tournament to complete the “sweep”.
The Lakers entered the tournament as the No. 1 team in Group A of the Western Conference after going undefeated in four games, and defeated the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans to reach the finals.
The in-season tournament consisted of 30 teams divided into six groups, with the best eight teams advancing to a single-elimination tournament to determine the winner.
All matches except the final were played in the regular league.
The Pacers will receive $500,000 (about $650 million) per player for winning the championship, while the Indiana players will receive $200,000 each.
Lakers big man Anthony Davis was the star of the show with 41 points and 20 rebounds.
“King” LeBron James also contributed to the win with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) award went to James for his consistent performance throughout the tournament.
In accepting the award, James was full of praise for his junior, saying, “Davis dominated the big game with over 40 points, over 20 rebounds, and several blocks and steals.”
Both teams’ perimeter shooters, who have combined to shoot over 30 percent from 3-point range this season (Pacers 34.3 percent, Indiana 38.1 percent), went cold.
By the third quarter, the Pacers were shooting 8.3 percent and Indiana was shooting 25.9 percent.
The Pacers, led by Davis and James’ strong under-the-arc scoring, took a 10-point lead into the final minute of the third quarter.
However, the game swung back and forth as Indiana’s focus shone through, with Benedict McAdoo and T.J. McKinnon at the center of it all.
In the third quarter, 카지노사이트 Masserin hit a three-point buzzer-beater to pull his team within 82-90.
Early in the fourth quarter, the gap narrowed dramatically to three points, 89-92, on a layup by Masserin, a three-pointer by Obi Topin, and a rebounded steal by McConnell.
But Indiana could not overcome the Lakers’ dominance under the basket.
With just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Davis had 20 rebounds and James had 10. By that point, Indiana’s total rebounding total equaled their combined 30.
The Pacers, who were scoring more consistently, went on a run to make it 115-99 after Davis scored 10 straight points, including six free throws, midway through the fourth quarter.
Indiana, on the other hand, lost center Myles Turner to six fouls with 4:09 left in the game, making the battle under the basket more difficult.
The Hoosiers brought in all of their starters with just over a minute left, effectively raising the white flag. 먹튀검증