With the eyes of the entire NBA on Las Vegas, LeBron James put on an absolute basketball master class, and had a lot of help from his friends in a 133-89 blowout victory over New Orleans, sending the Lakers to the final of the inaugural In-Season Tournament, for a chance at the NBA Cup with only Indiana left to conquer.
“Incredible,” summarized Darvin Ham of LeBron. He’s the ultimate tone setter. He set an unbelievable tone from the start of the game, and his teammates followed suit.”
LeBron’s 21st season has been entirely unprecedented to this point, and he somehow upped the ante on Thursday night in Las Vegas, needing only 22 minutes to score 30 points on 9 of 12 FG’s (4 of 4 3’s, 8 of 8 FT’s) with eight assists for a +36, the only player to hit those marks in so few minutes.
“Just trying to lead by example,” said LeBron, rather humbly after that kind of performance. “Be unselfish. Make the right plays offensively and defensively and live with the results.”
The Lakers held a 67-54 lead after a strong first half, but it was the third quarter in which they entered into Death Mode, burying the Pelicans with a 43-17 margin. Anchored by Anthony Davis, the defense swarmed, limiting NOP to 7 for 24 shooting (29.2%) and forcing three turnovers, while converting 13 of 20 FG’s (65%) on the other end, including four triples, plus 13 of 16 free throws.
“We have a lot of long, athletic wings and players where we can switch randomly, we can switch deliberately,” explained Darvin Ham. “AD is a huge, huge factor in backing up and anchoring the back line of our defense, and it allows everybody to just play free and be aggressive.”
Davis, who finished with 16 points, 15 boards, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals, led the Lakers with 31 minutes played, and was able to sit alongside LeBron and enjoy the fourth quarter thinking ahead to Saturday’s matchup with Indiana, such was the margin.
The tide of the game turned in the second quarter, when LeBron drilled back-to-back-to-back triples on the first three Lakers possessions. He added a layup moments later to put the Lakers up seven. LeBron checked out at the 5:49 mark of the period, as L.A. held a 50-41 lead.
New Orleans rallied in his absence, trimming seven points off that margin, to make it 53-50 when LeBron returned at the 3:08 mark. But with James scoring and assisting, L.A. closed the half on a 14-4 run to take a 67-54 edge into the break. LeBron led all scorers with 21 points – 18 coming in the 2nd Q – and was aided by Taurean Prince, who hit three of his four first half triples in the quarter.
Prince finished with five triples, matching his season high, and Austin Reaves added 17 points, seven assists and five boards in his 23 minutes off the bench. D’Angelo Russell complimented those numbers with 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting in his 22 minutes.
The fourth quarter saw several young Lakers get minutes, with rookies Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis getting eight minutes of action apiece, flanked by Christian Wood, Max Christie and Rui Hachimura. That unit also managed to limit New Orleans offensively, with a 23-18 margin contributing towards the 44-point victory.
“When we lock in and everybody is pulling the rope in the same direction and everybody is focused on the objectives of the game plan, we’re damn near unstoppable,” summarized Ham. “It’s a beautiful thing to see this early. The intensity that this tournament brings reveals that, because it’s not just a regular season game. The stakes are way higher. It’s great prep for what’s to come four, five months later.”
Now it’s on to the final, with Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers awaiting.