The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in a tough match to become the first NBA In-Season Tournament winners. With 41 points, 20 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks, Anthony Davis took the lead in this one, while LeBron James was voted the IST MVP for his overall effort.
The tenacious Pacers managed to remain around despite the Lakers’ practically constant lead, cutting the lead to three points in the middle of the fourth quarter (102-99). A few minutes later, the Lakers had put the game away with an instant 13-0 run in response, making the score 115-99.
These are some salient observations about the game:
Bullying to an excessive degree
The narrative was the disparity in styles going into this game. The Pacers engage in the height of sophistication. They play quickly, they shoot threes, and they don’t often defend. In contrast are the Lakers. They aim to dominate the paint and play hard basketball without shooting a lot of threes. Very soon, it was evident that the Lakers would be the club dictating terms of participation. It was a game of bully-ball.
It was dominated by the Lakers. They outscored Indiana by almost twice as many points (86 to 44). The Lakers prevailed 55 to 32, virtually by the same margin in rebounds. Myles Turner, Indiana’s lone trustworthy big man, fouled out in the fourth quarter after going 3 of 11 and without getting a single block. Not every opponent will have the same level of stylistic distinction as the Pacers. The Lakers’ stature will allow opponents in the playoffs to adapt.
But if anything emerged from this game, it’s that the Lakers are the NBA’s best team at winning this particular kind of game. Ultimately, both Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo represented Indiana in this competition. Neither was as dominant inside as Anthony Davis was. — Quinn, Sam
Haliburton leaves the game for the Lakers
Tyrese Haliburton’s outstanding performances against the Celtics and Bucks gave the Lakers the idea that they wouldn’t allow it to happen to them. Despite finishing with 20 points and 11 assists on 8 of 14 field goals, Haliburton was unable to have the same influence that he usually does on the game. The Lakers concluded he couldn’t defeat them, and he couldn’t.
The Lakers used an aggressive style of play, sending Haliburton against many long, athletic defenders all night long, forcing him to turn the ball over far sooner than he would have liked. Although Haliburton is a willing passer, he prefers to draw the defenders and go downhill before hitting his big man or putting the ball in the air for a shot. Rather than winning it, the Lakers won because he had to give it up early, forcing other Pacers to make decisions.
Though the Lakers have some excellent defensive players, this was only one game with more stakes than normal. It will be fascinating to watch if other teams attempt to mimic their defensive strategy against Haliburton. When their star point guard wasn’t running things, the Pacers just didn’t look like themselves. — Maloney Jack
A note to the bench of the Pacers
Prior to the Pacers’ run in the In-Season Tournament, many casual fans probably weren’t all that familiar with Tyrese Haliburton, so it’s reasonable to assume that players like Isaiah Jackson, Aaron Nesmith, and TJ McConnell were even less well-known. After what the Pacers’ second unit accomplished on their way to the title, that ought to no longer be the case.
McConnell sneaked in for thefts, offensive rebounds, and old-man moves in the paint, putting on a clinic for backup point guards. After making clutch shots late in the game against the Celtics, Nesmith went on to defend LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the next games. Jackson, on the other hand, managed to compete with a succession of outstanding big players, including Anthony Davis, Brook Lopez, and Antetokounmpo.
The IST will serve as Haliburton’s launchpad since, obviously, the stars get the lion’s share of attention in NBA coverage. While the Pacers’ bench group may not have received the same level of attention on national television for a week, it was still a really fantastic component of the event. A hefty bonus check doesn’t hurt either, by the way. — Maloney Jack
An unbeaten run in the playoffs
A somewhat unique chance to play basketball in the postseason in the winter was provided to teams by the In-Season Tournament. It is obviously valuable seeing who a coach trusts in key games, but a lot can happen between now and the spring. There, Darvin Ham offered us a peek inside his mind, and the response is quite unexpected given our preseason projections.
Austin Reaves, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James were undoubtedly closers in tight games. Given his size and contract, D’Angelo Russell was always going to end up in one of those closing spots as well. But who was the lineup’s fifth player? That was Cam Reddish, who finished the tournament with a team-best +24 point differential while playing 33 significant minutes.
In general, Reddish has had an excellent season with the Lakers. Though his offensive output has been inconsistent, he has been their finest point-of-attack defender, and his overall development as a player cannot be understated. This was a guy that the Knicks were unable to even include in their rotation. He’s now taking care of every tiny detail for a legitimate candidate. With minimum-salary free agents, the Lakers have had a lot of success stories in recent years. It seems that Reddish is their most recent victor.
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