LeBron James posted an outstanding 30 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in the purple and gold’s 133-89 dominant victory against the Pelicans on Thursday night. This means the Lakers are now headed to the In-Season Tournament’s championship game this Saturday, and will face Tyrese Haliburton’s Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas.
The Los Angeles squad entered the halftime break with a 13-point lead, but truly set the tone of the match in the third quarter in which they outscored New Orleans 43-17 and established their dominance.
One of the most impressive moments of the contest, was when a thick-skinned LeBron dropped in three-straight threes, each one farther away than the other. By his third dagger, the entire Lakers bench erupted in celebration, almost in disbelief of James’ quality.
LeBron James is ON FIRE, knocking down 3-straight triples in the 2Q 🔥
14 PTS, 5/6 FGM, 3/3 3PM midway through 2 👀
🏀 Pelicans/Lakers on TNT
🏆 Winner faces Pacers in Championship in Las Vegas on Saturday pic.twitter.com/PSGSEhF15b— NBA (@NBA) December 8, 2023
“I think we are starting to get a feel for what we need to become as a team for us to win basketball games, to be consistent,” the team’s superstar said in the postgame interview. “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.”
The Los Angeles squad went into a scoring frenzy which saw six of their players score in double figures, with center Anthony Davis posting 16 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, and teammate Austin Reaves adding his 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists coming off the bench.
Head coach Darvin Ham admitted feeling excited about the In-Season Tournament so far, explaining why he feels the competition brings a different feel and intensity to the contests.
“I think the intensity that this tournament brings reveals that because it’s not just a regular-season game.” he shared. “It doesn’t feel like that. The stakes are way higher and you see people in those delicate moments what they are truly made of, at least the beginning stages.”
On the other hand, Pelicans coach Willie Green was very disappointed after his squad’s performance. “Tonight was a total letdown…” he expressed. “A lack of competitive spirit. Tonight, we took a step in the wrong direction.”
LeBron James reminds fans to relax because it’s still only December and he believes there is still a long road to glory
Despite him posting one of his most memorable performance of the current campaign, LeBron knows the season is only beginning. About this year’s new format, he admitted the In-Season Tournament has been a fun addition, but he rather keep his priorities straight.
“I mean, listen, it’s still December, so I’m not getting too crazy about the whole thing,” the 38-year-old explained. “I understand this thing has been great — In-Season Tournament — but it’s still December.”
“But it is a another game for us to get better and we want to try to win that game because we’re a team who wants to get better every single game we go out there, every quarter, every possession. We have another opportunity to do that,” James concluded.
When his coach was asked about his superstar’s impressive exhibition, he quickly described it as “incredible”. He then added: “He’s the ultimate tone setter. He set an unbelievable tone from the start of the game, and his teammates followed suit.”
