LeBron James guided Los Angeles Lakers into the NBA In-Season Tournament final.

Posted 5 months ago

NBA superstar LeBron James' stellar 30 points guided the Los Angeles Lakers to dominate the New Orleans Pelicans by 133-89 in the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament.

The Lakers’ victory means that they advance to the championship game in the inaugural edition of the tournament, where they will take on the Indiana Pacers for a chance to win the NBA Cup.

James, who will celebrate his 39th birthday on December 30, was ruthlessly efficient, connecting on nine of his 12 attempts from the floor including four-of-four from three-point range.

He piled up his 30 points, with five rebounds and eight assists, in less than 23 minutes on the floor. "Extraordinary" and "otherworldly" were two words Lakers coach Darvin Ham used to describe James, who also absorbed three charging fouls.

The Lakers entered the halftime break up 13, before a lopsided third quarter, in which they outscored New Orleans 43-17, put the game beyond any doubt early on.

LA’s free-scoring offense saw six players score in double figures. Lakers big man Anthony Davis contributed 16 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks, while Austin Reaves put up 17 points, five rebounds and seven assists off the bench.

On the other frame, the first semi-final of the new tournament was an altogether different affair, with Tyrese Haliburton scoring 27 points to propel the Pacers to a 128-119 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in a game that featured 16 lead changes in which seven of them in the fourth quarter.

Haliburton added 15 assists, without a turnover, and Myles Turner scored 26 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.