2023-12-08 05:33:11
The stage is set for the NBA’s In-Season Tournament Final on Sunday (all times AEDT) between the Indiana Pacers and LA Lakers.
In Friday’s opening semi-final from Las Vegas, Tyrese Haliburton announced himself as a genuine NBA superstar under the bright lights.
Haliburton dropped 27 points with 15 assists and seven rebounds — and no turnovers — to see the Indiana Pacers take down the Milwaukee Bucks 128-119 and advance to the In-Season Tournament championship game.
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The Pacers led by 12 at half-time before Milwaukee came storming back into the game in the second half to set up a tight, back-and-fourth final quarter.
That was until Haliburton’s layup extended Indiana’s lead to five points with 1:33 on the clock before the superstar guard iced the win with a massive stepback three-pointer with 49.1 seconds remaining.
After hitting the match-sealing three, Haliburton even took a cheeky dig at Damian Lillard, pulling out the ‘Dame Time’ celebration and saying: “Ya’ll know what time it is.”
Over his last two games, Haliburton has now recorded 53 points and 28 assists without a single turnover in an extraordinary feat as the Pacers have taken down the Celtics and Bucks — arguably the two premier sides in the Eastern Conference — en route to the In-Season Tournament championship decider.
“Tyrese Haliburton is putting the basketball world on notice that he has arrived,” NBA legend Reggie Miller said on the ESPN telecast.
Elsewhere, Myles Turner racked up 26 points with 10 rebounds and three blocks and Rick Carlisle’s squad improved to 12-8 overall.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (37 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks) led the way for the now 16-7 Bucks and Damien Lillard chipped in 24 points, four triples, seven rebounds and seven assists.
In the later game, the Lakers made quick work of the New Orleans Pelicans in a dominant 133-89 thrashing behind a masterful showing from LeBron James to book their spot in the In-Season Tournament finale.
James racked up 30 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field and 8-of-8 from the free throw line with five rebounds and eight assists in just 23 minutes, while Anthony Davis added 16 points, 15 boards, two steals and two blocks as LA won its third in a row to improve to 14-9 on the season.
According to StatMuse, James became the first player in NBA history to put up 30-plus points, five-plus rebounds and five-plus assists in 23 minutes or less.
After a tight opening quarter, the Lakers exploded with a 38-24 second term and didn’t look back to open up a double-digit lead by the main break.
Darvin Ham’s side continued its surge in the third quarter with an even more commanding 43-17 to put the scoreboard out of reach in a near 40-point margin as both coaches emptied their benches early.
Trey Murphy’s 14 points led the Pelicans in a forgettable performance for Willie Green’s side as its In-Season Tournament came to a halt in ugly fashion and it fell to 12-11 overall.
Sunday’s game between the Pacers and Lakers won’t count towards the regular season.
ALL RESULTS
PACERS 128 BUCKS 119
PELICANS 89 LAKERS 133
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