By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The Los Angeles Lakers prevent over the New Orleans Pelicans and will play in the in-season tournament championship game against the Indiana Pacers who shocked the Milwaukee Bucks.
LeBron James scored 30 points in less than three quarters and the Lakers steamrolled the Pelicans 133-89.
Indiana advanced with a 128-119 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the other semifinal. Unlike the other tournament games, the championship game will not count in the regular-season standings.
“I think we are starting to get a feel for what we need to become a team for us to win basketball games, to be consistent,” James said. “Defensively, we’re really, really starting to tap into that like, OK, we’ve got to defend every single night. When we defend, we give ourselves a chance to win every night.”
Austin Reaves scored 17 points for Los Angeles, Anthony Davis had 16 points and 15 rebounds and Taurean Prince finished with 15 points. Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with 14 points. Zion Williamson had 13 points and Herbert Jones 10. Lithuanian big man Jonas Valanciunas added nine points and three rebounds
For Indiana Tyrese Haliburton had 27 points and 15 assists with no turnovers.
“We’re playing the right way and we’re shocking the world right now, we’re going to continue to do that,” Haliburton said. “And as long as we play the right way, we know we’re going to be in every basketball game.”
Myles Turner added 26 points for Indiana. Obi Toppin had 14 on 6-of-8 shooting, Isaiah Jackson chipped in 11 and Bruce Brown had 10.
The Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo had 37 points and 10 rebounds for Milwaukee. Damian Lillard added 24 points, Khris Middleton had 20 and Brook Lopez 18.
Most important, however, was Indiana’s reserves outscoring Milwaukee’s backups 43-13. Indiana’s bench was a combined plus-62, while Milwaukee’s reserves were minus-46.