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Potentially the start of a tradition, or just a doomed public relations stunt, the NBA’s season-opening tournament was easily won by LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Beating the upstart Indiana Pacers, 123-109, the Lakers put on a performance worthy of a championship, even if the NBA Finals are still six months away.
Most significantly, players and fans following online seemed to embrace the new format, which was designed to spark interest in the early months of the NBA season.
Anthony Davis had season highs of 41 points and 20 rebounds for the Lakers, although it was James who took home the tournament MVP.
Austin Reaves added 28 points, James had 24 points and 11 rebounds and D’Angelo Russell added 13 points. Davis was 16 of 24 from the field and also had five assists.
Tyrese Haliburton had 20 points and 11 assists for Indiana, Bennedict Mathurin also scored 20 points and Aaron Nesmith had 15.
This match was the only one of the tournament that did not count in the standings, but there was still a lot at stake. In addition to taking home a trophy, Lakers players on standard two-way contracts each earned $500,000 and the Pacers received $200,000 each. Players with bilateral agreements take home half of those amounts.
More to continue…
LeBron James (23) controls the ball against Indiana Pacers forward Bruce Brown