Along with the Indiana Pacers in the East, the Los Angeles Lakers became the first two teams to reach the quarterfinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament thanks to being undefeated in the group stage.

On the day LeBron James created a miracle by reaching the milestone of 39,000 points scored in his entire career, the Los Angeles Lakers team rejoiced with a strong 131-99 victory at home at Crypto.com Arena.

This result helped the yellow and purple shirt team secure first place in Group A of the NBA In-Season Tournament, becoming the first Western team to enter the quarterfinals.

Also this morning in the East, the Indiana Pacers did the same thing by overcoming the Atlanta Hawks with a crazy score of 157-152 (no overtime).

With a gentle 131-99 victory over the Utah Jazz, the Los Angeles Lakers are the first Western team to reach the quarterfinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament with first place in Group A.

The NBA In-Season Tournament comes at the right time for the Los Angeles Lakers. 

The Regular Season is not starting well with only 3 wins in 8 matches and experiencing 3 consecutive defeats, LeBron James and his teammates seem to have transformed in the group stage matches of the In-Season Tournament.

The yellow and purple shirt team defeated the Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers and today the Utah Jazz to lock in first place in the table. In addition to the victories in the Regular Season, the Los Angeles Lakers are reviving with a total record of 9-6. 

Calling the Lakers a complete transformation in the In-Season Tournament is because from their unstable form, they switched to winning in the cup tournament with each win having a different score.

Los Angeles Lakers won 4 NBA In-Season Tournament group stage games with an average total margin of 18.5 points per game

There will be a total of 8 teams entering the knockout round of this year’s NBA In-Season Tournament including:

_ The top six teams in 6 groups in the East and West regions (each region has three groups A, B, C)

_ The two second-place teams have the best results in each region 

It is still unclear who the opponents of LeBron James and his teammates will be in the quarterfinals. We only know that the Los Angeles Lakers will have home-field advantage in the first knockout match (scheduled to take place on December 5 or December 6). ).

The semi-finals and finals of the In-Season Tournament will take place in Las Vegas, on December 8 and December 10, respectively. All times are calculated in Vietnam time.

NBA In-Season Tournament attracts players thanks to bonuses?

The Los Angeles Lakers players make no secret of why they are determined to conquer the NBA In-Season Tournament 2023. Besides competing for the newly introduced trophy, the players also hope to receive big bonuses from the tournament. .

With the 4 highest ranked teams at the In-Season Tournament, the NBA has big bonuses for players and coaches. Each player on the official roster and head coach of the championship team will pocket $500,000. 

The runner-up team will receive a prize of 200,000 USD each. The two losing teams in the semi-finals will be “consolation” with each player receiving $100,000, all in cash.

NBA In-Season Tournament is a cup tournament inspired by Europe’s top football tournaments, taking place in parallel with the NBA’s Regular Season. 

“They know the importance of these matches (In-Season Tournament). The individual award for each player is not small and of course no one criticizes money ,” said LA Lakers head coach Darvin Ham.

“That reward attracts many players and makes them more determined to compete. I feel like it makes the NBA more competitive in the midst of a Regular Season that lasts for many months. 

You will clearly feel the fire of the players, not at all like normal Regular Season matches.”