Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers head to NBA In-Season Tournament championship vs. LeBron James' Lakers
Tyrese Haliburton can change his own narrative on Saturday night. And LeBron James gets a chance to add yet another prize to his legacy.
Video above: Iowa third-grader goes to Pacers game to meet his favorite former Cyclone
Itās a game that doesnāt count in the standings ā but still has a ton of money, a trophy, medals and bragging rights on the line. Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers will take on James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night in the championship game of the inaugural In-Season Tournament.
Both teams are 6-0 in the event.
The tournament was something that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wanted for years, likening it to whatās commonly done in top soccer leagues around the globe. James said the other major ideas on Silverās watch ā the bubble at Walt Disney World that finished the 2019-20 season in the early months of the pandemic on the way to the Lakers winning the title, and the play-in tournament ā both worked, and he has called the commissioner āa geniusā for pulling the In-Season Tournament off.
āWeāve got to finish our breakfast on Saturday. Thatās the most important thing,ā James said. āBut like I said, yeah, heās pretty good. I said Adam is a genius. He does a great job, for sure.ā
James has won four NBA titles and been to the NBA Finals 10 times. He is the NBAās career leading scorer and has a slew of accolades. Haliburton is essentially just starting out; he was an All-Star last year, got a rookie max extension from the Pacers last summer that will be worth at least $205 million and has emerged as perhaps this seasonās breakout star.
But after a loss in Miami last week, Haliburton said this to a handful of reporters at his locker: āIndividual success is nothing at this point. I just want to win. Iām tired of being a loser. Iāve got to do a better job of finding ways to win. Iāve got to be better for us to win games. Thatās just plain and simple.ā
He had 27 points, 15 assists, seven rebounds and no turnovers in Indianaās semifinal win over Milwaukee in Las Vegas on Thursday. And while itās not an NBA title, Haliburton has a chance to win something big on Saturday night.
āHeās a great player,ā Milwaukeeās Giannis Antetokounmpo said. āBut to be able to have 25 points plus, 15 assists and not turning the ball over, which I had no idea about it, speaks a lot. Speaks volumes about the way heās playing this year.ā
What's at stake?
The Lakers-Pacers game wonāt count in the standings, since itāll essentially be the 83rd game in an 82-game season for both teams.
Players from both teams have clinched $200,000 each for making the final; two-way players get half that much. Players on the winning team get $500,000 apiece, so thereās roughly $4.5 million at stake in Saturdayās game.
The winning team also gets the NBA Cup and all players from the championship team get medals.
Quotable
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle: āWe have a dream as an organization to be an NBA championship organization. They won three ABA titles, and thatās a big deal. Winning an NBA title is a dream thatās reachable, but itās got to be a dream where people can focus on how itās reachable, and weāre showing signs of that. Weāre not there yet. Weāre showing signs, and weāre a dangerous team.ā
Lakers coach Darvin Ham after his teamās 133-89 rout of New Orleans in a semifinal: āEverybody understands what weāre playing for and what a great opportunity to be in here in this city and in this tournament for us to reveal our competitive spirit top to bottom.ā
Quirks
The tournament caused a couple of schedule quirks from the usual 41-home, 41-road game model.
The Pacers, Lakers and Bucks will all play 41 home and 40 road games this season, with one neutral-site contest (two, technically, for the Lakers and Pacers, though the Saturday game wonāt be in the standings). The Pelicans will play 40 at home, 41 on the road and one neutral-site.
The New York Knicks will play 40 home games and 42 road games. The Knicks lost a quarterfinal in Milwaukee and got a road game in Boston on Friday to fill out their regular-season schedule.
In the NBAās official stats ā the Lakers and Bucks have 42 home and 40 road games (the Lakers were the āhomeā team against the Pelicans), the Pacers have 41 of each (they were the āroadā team against Milwaukee), and the Pelicans and Knicks are both listed with 40 at home and 42 on the road.
Pacers vs. Lakers: records, betting odds and more
Indiana Pacers (12-8, 6-0) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (14-9, 6-0), Saturday, 7:40 p.m. CST (ABC/ESPN2)
Line: Lakers by 4, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series this season: First meeting. The teams will play March 24 in Los Angeles and March 29 in Indianapolis.
Indiana tournament stat leaders: Tyrese Haliburton (27.8 ppg, 13.7 apg, 5.5 rpg, 1.3 spg), Myles Turner (20.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.7 bpg), Obi Toppin (15.8 ppg, .656 FG%), Buddy Hield (14.5 ppg, .500 3FG%), Bruce Brown (13.2 ppg, 1.7 spg).
Los Angeles Lakers tournament stat leaders: LeBron James (26.8 ppg, 8.2 apg, 7.5 rpg, 1.5 spg, .588 FG%, .625% 3FG%), Anthony Davis (20.3 ppg, 13.7 rpg), DāAngelo Russell (16.5 ppg, 5.7 apg, .547 FG%), Austin Reaves (15.7 ppg, 5.3 apg, 5.2 rpg), Rui Hachimura (11.3 ppg)
Outlook: The final is a clash of styles. Indiana is averaging a league-best 132.7 points in tournament games, the Lakers have given up a league-fewest 102 points per game in the tournament. ... The Pacers and Lakers played a pair of one-point games last season. Indiana won 116-115 at Los Angeles on Nov. 28, 2022, when Haliburton grabbed an offensive rebound and found Andrew Nembhard for a 3-pointer at the buzzer; the Lakers won 112-111 at Indianapolis on Feb. 2 when the Pacersā Buddy Hield missed a jumper at the end. ... The teams have split their last eight meetings, all decided by single digits. Combined score of those eight games: Lakers 895, Pacers 890.