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LAS VEGAS – In the opening seconds of the Semifinals In-Season Tournament, LeBron James sent a clear message: He will not allow the Lakers to lose.
James, guarded by New Orleans Pelicans guard Herb Jones, found D’Angelo Russell out of a hole and rolled to the rim. James Jones latched onto his back and caught a high-low pass from Anthony Davis. He scored on an easy layup, getting fouled for 1-1, before using his traps as he fired up the crowd.
The opening sequence is a symbol of James’ 30-point, eight-assist, five-rebound, zero-turnover masterclass – just 22 minutes and 32 seconds of James. He may have been dancing before the game, but that restless nature disappeared as soon as the ball was thrown.
The 38-year-old made a statement in the city where he hopes to own an NBA franchise one day, leading the Lakers to a 133-89 victory Thursday over New Orleans. Pelicans in the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament at T-Mobile Arena. The game marked the Lakers’ biggest win since a 55-point victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011.
“It’s unique. In a world. One-one-one. He’s the best vocal player,” head coach Darvin Ham said of James’ performance.
With the victory, Los Angeles improved to 14-9 and 6-0 in the In-Season Tournament with a difference of a monster-121 – an average victory of 20.2 points in the game. They will play the Indiana Pacers, who beat the Milwaukee Bucks 128-119 last Thursday, in the championship game on Saturday evening.
Although James is the oldest player on the floor and in his 21st season, with the most minutes recorded in the history of the NBA, the consensus from the Lakers and Pelicans later is no one wanted to win this game more than him.
“He played the way he wanted to,” Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III said. “That’s the bottom line. He played like he really wanted to win these games and win the NBA Cup, so he’s got it.”
James became the first player in NBA history to record at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists in 23 minutes or less. He also played the fewest number of minutes a Laker played while scoring at least 30 points.
He cut the Pelicans down at will, making nine of 12 shots. The Lakers beat the Pelicans by 36 points with James on the floor, a very good team.
At first, he took a back seat in the offense, with a first-and-1 being his only three points of the first quarter. But he got going early in the second quarter, scoring three straight points in 61 seconds to give the Lakers their first 11 points of the quarter.
“It’s nice to watch him just turn around in these big games,” Russell said. “Honestly, he can shoot well. He’s faster. He’s more athletic. He’s not as tired. I just don’t understand. But it’s nice to watch from the outside looking in. “
All told, James scored a season-high 18 points in the quarter, helping the Lakers turn a one-point lead in the first quarter into a 13-point halftime lead. . The chaos caused the Lakers’ supporters to go wild and the game seemed to have turned.
“You saw LeBron on the whole show,” Pelicans head coach Willie Green said. “He understands these times.”
James appeared to be more impressive defensively, as he split the Lakers’ coverage from the backcourt with Davis and ended up making three charges, including one against him. Zion Williamson, who is 6-foot-6 and 284 pounds.
That effort and sacrifice was not lost on his friends.
“Anytime your best player sacrifices his body … especially when Zion comes under the paint, it makes a noise,” Austin Reaves said. “It shows everyone else how locked in he is to win this.”
When a reporter excitedly asked if he was too old to charge in the December games, James replied, “Listen, not for that ($500,000), no.”
The Lakers opened the second half with a 23-6 run to extend their lead to 30 points, 90-60, and James’ one-handed layup by Davis from the origin of the crime. James checked out at the 5:22 mark of the third quarter – the first time he’s left a game this season.
To be clear, James had a lot of help. Davis had 16 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks. Reaves scored 17 points off the bench. Taurean Prince had 15 points on five 3-pointers. But James led the way for the second straight game, as he has done for most of the In-Season Tournament.
Now the Lakers turn to the hot Pacers, who have beaten the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks in consecutive games behind the MVP-caliber play of Tyrese Haliburton and the league’s best offense.
“They’re a good ball club,” Davis said. “The fact that we talked about last week that they scored a lot of points. Lots of 140s and stuff like that, 130s. Obviously, the head of the snake is Tyre, and the good players around him are encouraging him. They are small. They are bad. They get out and run, and they play the right way. This will be a test for our defense, that’s for sure. But it will be a fun game.”
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Saturday’s game won’t count in terms of standings or records – Los Angeles and Indiana will have played 83 regular-season games, one for the most. more than the other 28 teams. Players from the winning team will each receive $500,000 in prize money, while those on the losing team will receive $200,000 per player.
But for the Lakers, it is a chance to win the first NBA Cup and establish a foundation of success for this season. All of a sudden, Los Angeles has won three straight and is 7-3 in their last 10. The surging Lakers are fourth in the West — and just a half game behind No. 2 Oklahoma City and just 3.5 games back. the top representative of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With the Lakers climbing the Western standings, an NBA Cup on the horizon and James’ impressive numbers, Ham believes he should be the leader of his place in the MVP conversation – an achievement that would make James the oldest MVP, surpassing Karl Malone. , who won his age-35 season in 1999.
“Without question,” said Hamo. “Without question. The way he affects winning, what he’s doing at this stage of his career, is without question. It’s a no-brainer.”
James wasn’t thinking anything of the sort, though. His focus is to send another message against the Pacers.
“We should be done Saturday morning,” James said, referring to a Jay-Z song. “That’s the most important thing.”
(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)