Ian Maule / Associated Press
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) smiles after being fouled while shooting against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half of a semifinal in the NBA basketball In-Season Tournament, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, in Las Vegas.
Published Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023 | 8:53 p.m.
Updated Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023 | 10:24 p.m.
The Los Angeles Lakers got off to a slow start. Someone needed to set the tone to get them back on track.
Of course that was LeBron James.
The 38-year-old drew three charging fouls in the first quarter to prevent the New Orleans Pelicans from extending control of the game. After that, the Lakers settled in — as did the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
James had 30 points and eight assists in 22 minutes to lead the Lakers to a 133-89 win over the Pelicans in the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday, setting up a matchup with the Indiana Pacers for the first ever NBA Cup back here Saturday (5:30 p.m., ABC).
The Lakers entered the tournament as the top seed on the Western Conference side of the bracket, but were starting to play their best basketball prior to the knockout round with three straight wins and jumping to the No. 4 seed in the overall West.
Defensively, the Lakers have liked the results they’ve gotten. Thursday was evident of that with holding the Pelicans to 35% shooting from the floor, and giving up 59 points in the final three quarters after giving up 30 through the first 12 minutes.
James, as he’s tended to do throughout his career, turns defense into offense with ease. He showed that in the second quarter, opening with three straight 3-pointers and scoring the Lakers’ first 11 points to regain momentum. The Lakers grabbed a 67-54 lead at halftime, then followed with a 43-17 third quarter to end a lot of the starters’ nights early.
Anthony Davis had 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Austin Reaves had 17 points off the bench.
“We’re starting to get healthy. We’re starting to see what our team looks like,” James said. “Guys are feeling a really good rhythm, offensively and defensively.”
In a way, this weekend is almost a feel-out process for James.
He’s been on the record, even as recently as Wednesday, about wanting to own an NBA team in Las Vegas some day. The crowd of 18,017 at T-Mobile Arena was, as expected, full of Laker fans. It was as unofficial a home game as the Lakers could have. Saturday won’t be any different, either, with a championship and $500,000 per player up for grabs.
Whether it be at T-Mobile Arena or elsewhere, NBA basketball in Las Vegas is ultimately James’ dream once his slam-dunk Hall of Fame career ends. The Lakers have played preseason games in Southern Nevada for exhibition contests. Meaningful games only heighten what could be to come.
“It’s the first time any of us have been in this In-Season Tournament, especially the finals, so I think that itself is exciting for our ballclub,” Davis said. “The excitement around it, the atmosphere, the energy, the competitiveness that it brings out of teams is going to be fun.”
Right now, that's helping fuel what James and the Lakers want to accomplish in this tournament. As long as James and Davis are healthy, the Lakers will be viewed as a legitimate contender in a crowded Western Conference. They advanced to the West Finals as the No. 7 seed last season, needing to win a play-in game to get into the field of 16, before running into the eventual champion Denver Nuggets and getting swept.
It’s only a quarter into the 2023-24 season, and James doesn’t know what this could ultimately mean for the Lakers if they can channel this play for the remainder of the campaign, but it’s a glimpse of what the future could be.
In their way Saturday will be a young Pacers team that has been the surprise of the tournament, sweeping through group play and then knocking out the two best teams in the Eastern Conference — the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics — to reach the finals. The Lakers’ defense will have a tall task trying to take down a Pacers team that Davis acknowledged can score in the 140s.
James may need to draw more than three charges in what could be an electric environment. Not like he hasn’t done that before.
“I think we are starting to get a feel for who we need to become a team in order for us to win basketball games, to be consistent,” James said.
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
