LeBron James’ Lakers and Tyrese Haliburton’s Pacers to face off at NBA Cup final

The most successful team in the NBA will face off against one that has never won a title. The Los Angeles Lakers of star player LeBron James will take on the Indiana Pacers of rising star Tyrese Haliburton in the final of the NBA Cup. It’s a surprise outcome. At the beginning of the competition, no one would have predicted this showdown. But when teams are evenly matched, single-game playoffs can lead to surprising results. The final will be played in Las Vegas on Saturday.

The favorites were all knocked out of the competition. The first to fall were Nikola Jokić's Denver Nuggets, who did not even make it past the group stage. The Boston Celtics stumbled in the quarterfinals against Indiana, who on Thursday defeated Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks (128-119) in the Eastern Conference semifinal.

The NBA Cup has also witnessed a new rising star: Tyrese Haliburton. Since he began his career in the NBA, the player has maintained a 40% average from the three-point range, while shooting 50% from the field. At just 23, the nearly two-meter tall point guard was the third-best rookie of his debut season, 2020-2021, with the Sacramento Kings. In February 2022, he was part of a trade in which Domantas Sabonis left the Pacers for California, and he ended up in Indiana. Last year was his first full season and he was an All-Star in Salt Lake City. He shone in the games against the Celtics and the Bucks, and the Pacers now have the opportunity to win their first title.

In the Pacers’ game against Boston, Haliburton achieved the first triple-double of his career with 26 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds with no turnovers. He played a key role in his team’s victory. In the game against Milwaukee, he racked up 27 points, 15 assists and 7 rebounds. “We’re playing the right way, and we’re shocking the world right now. We’re going to continue to do that,” Haliburton said after the game.

Myles Turner added 26 points for the Pacers, while Obi Toppin had 14 on 6-of-8 shooting. The Indiana team has been on the attack all season, averaging 128.3 points, and 132.6 in NBA Cup games.

Giannis Antetokounmpo did everything he could for the Milwaukee Bucks, scoring 37 points and 10 rebounds. Damian Lillard added 24 points; Khris Middleton, 20, and Brook Lopez, 18. However, Indiana’s reserves far surpassed Milwaukee’s, adding 43 points to 13. “Our bench was the difference in today’s game,” said Indiana coach Rick Carlisle. “We truly have one of the best benches in the NBA, if not the best bench in the NBA,” added Haliburton. “We’re a really deep team with a lot of different guys who can contribute. I’m sure we’ve got a lot of guys that people aren’t really familiar with, but they’ll be familiar all too soon, for sure.”

The semifinal was close until the end. The first quarter ended with Milwaukee leading 27-29. In the second, Indiana’s reserves were in charge of opening the gap with a 36-22 run. The Bucks recovered in the third quarter and took the lead (91-94). Indiana came out stronger in the last quarter, with a 14-8 run, and Haliburton played a key role in consolidating the lead.

Meanwhile, there was less surprise in the Western Conference semifinal. The Lakers may be inconsistent, but they are far superior to the Pelicans. The New Orleans team was only in the lead in the first quarter (29-30). They sank in the second (38-24) and performed even worse in the third (43-17). The Lakers had a 110-71 lead heading into the final quarter, so there was little surprise when they won the game. In the end, the Los Angeles team increased their lead, winning 133-89.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham decided to rest LeBron James, who went to the bench after scoring 30 points in just 23 minutes, and Anthony Davis, who added 16 points and 15 rebounds in 31 minutes.

The NBA has bet big on this new competition format, with heavy advertising, new designs of stadium floors and the excitement of single-game playoffs. The new tournament seems to have boosted television audiences in this first part of the season.

In addition to the title, the players on the winning team will receive a prize of $500,000 each. The runners-up will win $200,000 each, while players from the two losing semifinalist teams receive $100,000, and those eliminated in the quarterfinals, $50,000. The tournament MVP and team of the tournament will also be selected on Saturday. James and Haliburton are the favorites for the individual award.

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