In Thursday night’s 133-89 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans, the Los Angeles Lakers advanced to the NBA In-Season Tournament finals thanks to 30 points from LeBron James in the first half alone.

Saturday night’s debut NBA Cup game pits the Lakers against the unexpected Indiana Pacers. In the other semifinal, Indiana progressed with a 128-119 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. The regular season standings will not take into account the title game, unlike the previous games in the tournament.

James claimed that the Lakers’ path to the championship game demonstrates their potential. The Lakers’ 59-42 rebounding advantage and defense, which limited the Hornets to 35.8% shooting, were two aspects of the game that he found especially pleasing.

According to James, the squad is beginning to understand the importance of consistency in order to win basketball games. Of course, we have to defend every single night, and we’re finally beginning to feel the defensive pressure. We increase our chances of winning each and every night when we defend.

For the Lakers, 17 points came from Austin Reaves, 16 from Anthony Davis and 15 rebounds from Taurean Prince.

The Pelicans were paced by Trey Murphy III, who scored 14 points. Herbert Jones scored ten points and Zion Williamson thirteen.

“But tonight was a total letdown,” Pelicans coach Willie Green remarked after his team’s quarterfinal appearance. When we lost to the Lakers, we were all let down by our lack of competitiveness. It’s hard not to acknowledge their efforts. They emerged victorious. What happened tonight, though, was a misstep.

After one quarter, the Saints had a 30-29 lead. However, James scored the first 11 points for the Lakers in the second quarter, resulting in a 40-33 edge.

James hit a trio of 3-pointers in a row at that time. The pro-Lakers crowd was energised by the latter two, which were taken from the league and tournament logos. There were three charges against the superstar, who is almost 39 years old.

“When your top performer puts his body on the line and takes three charges in the first half—particularly when Zion is crashing the paint—it sends a message,” Reaves stated. “That proves to everyone else just how determined he is to win this game—and every game.”

James had scored 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting by the 30-minute mark. Going to the bench in the middle of the third should have given him plenty of energy to play the championship game against the Pacers, who are known for their aggressive style of play.

Davis remarked, “They are young.” The animals are feisty. They take flight and play by the rules. It will undoubtedly put our defense to the test.

Three games in a row and four of their last five have been won by Los Angeles. During this current stretch, the Lakers have been “damn near unstoppable” according to Coach Darvin Ham, thanks to their concentration, aggression, and lack of selfishness.

Seeing something so early is a great thing, Ham remarked. Since this isn’t your average home game, I believe the high level of competition shows that. I don’t perceive it that way. At the very least, the stakes are much higher, and it is in those precarious moments that you see individuals for who they really are.