ANKARA
The Los Angeles Lakers will play against the Indiana Pacers in the NBA’s In-Season Tournament final on Saturday.
Both franchises will be vying for the NBA Cup at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena as the tournament makes its debut in the 2023-24 NBA season.
In the West semifinal on Thursday, the Lakers hammered the New Orleans Pelicans 133-89 in Las Vegas.
Lakers’ superstar LeBron James led his team as he scored 30 points. The US forward had also produced eight assists. James’ teammate Anthony Davis had posted a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Lakers guard Austin Reaves had 17 points.
Taurean Prince scored 15, and D’Angelo Russell added 14 points for the Lakers.
Trey Murphy was the top scorer for the Pelicans with 14 points.
Zion Williamson had 13 points and Herbert Jones racked up 10 for the Pelicans.
In the East semifinal, the Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 128-119 in Las Vegas.
Pacers duo Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton made a double-double each. Turner had 26 points and took 10 rebounds while Haliburton tallied 27 points and 15 assists to be key players for the win.
Pacers forward Obi Toppin scored 14 points.
Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points to be the game’s top scorer. The Greek forward also grabbed 10 rebounds.
Damian Lillard scored 24 points, and Khris Middleton added 20 for the Bucks.
Saturday’s Lakers vs. Pacers showdown at T-Mobile Arena will start at 8.30 p.m. Eastern Time (0130GMT on Sunday).
This week NBA confirmed that each player will pocket $500,000 for winning the league’s newest cup while $200,000 will be given to those, who make the final.
