Anthony Davis leads the way as Lakers claim inaugural NBA Cup

The Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament with a 123-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night, led by Anthony Davis' 41 points and 20 rebounds.

Austin Reaves scored 28 points, LeBron James had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and D'Angelo Russell scored 13. Davis finished 16 of 24 from the field with five assists.

Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton had 20 points and 11 assists, Bennedict Mathurin had 20 points, and Aaron Nesmith had 15.

This was the only game in the tournament that did not count in the standings, but there was still a lot at stake. In addition to the trophy, Lakers players on standard two-way contracts received $500,000 each, while Pacers players received $200,000 each. Players on two-way contracts receive half of those sums.

Though the stakes were not as high as they would be in a playoff, the tournament and title game had a playoff-like atmosphere in front of a pro-Lakers crowd.

It's also another trophy for James, who has four NBA titles to his name and has made no secret of his desire to add the title to his collection.

The Lakers found an equally energized team in the Pacers, led by an emerging star in this league. During this tournament, Haliburton became a familiar face, but the Lakers limited his impact on Saturday. With Reddish handling the majority of the defensive duties on Haliburton, he frequently passed the ball to a teammate rather than attempting to force the action.

The Lakers led for most of the game, but Indiana stayed close until Los Angeles went on a 15-3 run late in the fourth quarter to turn a 100-96 lead into a 115-99 lead.

SportsLigue