Lakers ease past Pelicans to advance to NBA In-Season Tournament Final

On Saturday night, the Lakers will face the surprising Indiana Pacers in the inaugural NBA Cup title game. Indiana secured their spot with a 128-119 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the other semifinal, with the unique aspect that this particular game won't contribute to regular-season standings.

Contributing to the Lakers' success, Austin Reaves scored 17 points, Anthony Davis had 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Taurean Prince finished with 15 points. Meanwhile, Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with 14 points, with Zion Williamson and Herbert Jones adding 13 and 10 points, respectively.

Although the Pelicans led 30-29 after the first quarter, LeBron James took charge in the second, scoring the Lakers' first 11 points, including three consecutive 3-pointers. By halftime, James had accumulated 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting.

The Lakers, having won three consecutive games and four of their past five, appear poised for the championship game.

The Pelicans will host Minnesota on Monday night, while the Lakers are scheduled to face Indiana on Saturday night in Las Vegas for the title.