The Los Angeles Lakers have emerged victorious in the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament after a 123-109 win over the Indiana Pacers in the final on Saturday night. The Lakers pulled away late in the fourth quarter to get the win and NBA fans reacted to them being the first team to lift the NBA Cup.
One said LeBron James and Anthony Davis are GOATs.
BRON AND AD TN pic.twitter.com/gVNVjbDiIR
— DeepFuckingValue (@TheRoaringKitti) December 10, 2023
A fan applauded the Lakers for a well-deserved win.
Well Deserved Champions
Lebron James and Anthony Davis are special
— Nathan Bagobiri A. (@BagobiriNathan) December 10, 2023
A fan hilariously said the GOAT debate is now over as Jordan never won the In-Season Tournament.
Jordan has 0 in season tournament rings
Lebron ends the debate
— Fact Slayer (@AsimRiazworld) December 10, 2023
One admitted he was wrong about the tournament as it led to some incredible action on the court.
https://twitter.com/xKingRei/status/1733706517952544993
A fan hailed Davis as the man of the moment.
All hail the man of the moment pic.twitter.com/bY5X5UmWqp
— INCARNATE ⚽️🦍🤡📿 (@incarnate_13) December 10, 2023
The star of the show for the Lakers was undoubtedly Anthony Davis, who put in one of the finest performances of his career. The 30-year-old ended the night with 41 points, 20 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks while going 16-24 from the field. Davis appeared to have injured his groin at one point, but carried on and dominated on both ends.
As for LeBron James, he played pretty well too, with 24 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Austin Reaves, meanwhile, had 28 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists off the bench, but Davis overshadowed him and James, and understandably so.
For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton had 20 points, 1 rebound, 11 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. He had arguably been the best player in this tournament thus far but wasn’t quite able to stamp his authority on this game.
The Lakers Crushed The Pacers Inside
One of the big talking points during this game was how the Lakers nearly went three quarters without making a three-pointer. Their first make came with 1:11 left in the third when Taurean Prince connected on one from the corner, but it didn’t really end up hurting them.
The reason was that the Lakers had a ridiculous 86-44 advantage in points in the paint, and you are not going to lose many games when the disparity is that big. Davis was a big reason for that, as the Pacers could not deal with him at all. There was talk of the Lakers not being all that physical, but that sure wasn’t the case here.
The Lakers Defense Was Magnificent
That advantage in points in the paint wasn’t the only notable takeaway from this game. The Pacers lead the NBA with an offensive rating of 123.5 and the Lakers’ defense just smothered them.
Indiana shot just 36.8% from the field and 24.4% from beyond the arc, with Davis shutting down the paint ever so well. The likes of Cam Reddish and Jarred Vanderbilt played great defense as well and it’s going to be incredibly difficult for anyone to beat the Lakers if they keep playing so well on that end of the floor.
Can they do it consistently, though, is the question. The return of Vanderbilt has certainly bolstered that unit and gives you some belief they can keep it up to an extent, at the least.
Ultimately, though, this game just proved one thing that we all already knew. The Lakers will go as far as Davis takes them. There aren’t many players who can have such an impact on both ends of the court as he did here, and the Lakers need to see this version of him on a more consistent basis.
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