NBA Cup Final: James, Davis lead Lakers to historic win against Pacers

• The Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in the NBA Cup final.
• Davis led the Lakers with 41 points, 20 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks.
• James earned the NBA Cup MVP honors with 24 points and 11 rebounds.

In the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament final, Anthony Davis led the Los Angeles Lakers to victory over the Indiana Pacers with 41 points.

In a 123-109 victory, Davis also recorded 20 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks. His teammate LeBron James contributed 24 points and 11 rebounds.

James received another honor by being named the NBA Cup’s most valuable player.

“Records will be broken, but one thing that will never be broken is being the first to do something,” said James, 38.

“We’re the first champions of the in-season tournament, and nobody can ever top that.

“It’s great to be able to do it with such a historical franchise, and even better to do it with a great, great cast of funny, engaged, competitive men over here.”

With just over six minutes left, the Pacers had pulled within three points, but the Lakers responded with a 13-point run to win the game.

For the Lakers, Tyrese Haliburton and teammate Bennedict Mathurin led the squad in scoring with 20 points apiece, while Austin Reaves scored 28 points off the bench.

The NBA Cup final was played in Las Vegas and is the only match that is not included in the rankings for the regular season.

“We’re sick, frustrated,” Haliburton said. “We just got outplayed tonight from the start of the game to the end of the game.

“Just didn’t do the job on loose balls, didn’t rebound, didn’t get enough stops when needed. They just outplayed us, and it’s frustrating.”

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