Lakers 44 Point Blowout Leads Them to In-Season Finals
In what was thought to be an interesting matchup between two of the best teams in the Western Conference was actually a disaster. The New Orleans Pelicans had a tough time getting any basket to fall in this semifinal game of the first-ever In-Season Tournament, as they were demolished 133-89, a blowout of 44 points. Now, the Los Angeles Lakers will face the Indiana Pacers in the In-Season Championship Game for a chance at the first NBA Cup and 500,000 dollars! Who will win it all, and will have the bragging rights as in-season champions? Let’s check out how the Lakers were able to land such a crushing defeat on the Pelicans.
New Orleans started the first quarter off great, having a one-point lead, with Zion Williamson going three for three from the field with six points. Los Angeles would change the dynamic of this game in the second quarter when they outscored the Pelicans 38-24 to take a 13-point lead going into halftime. During the third quarter, that’s when the Lakers really took the life out of this Pelicans team. The Lakers walked out of that third quarter with a 39-point lead. They outscored the Pelicans 43-17. Even with Los Angeles scoring 23 points in the final quarter of action, New Orleans was only able to score 18 points, which meant no chance to even come remotely close in this one as they were demolished 133-89. LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to have 30 plus points, five or more rebounds, and assists in under 23 minutes of play. That’s unbelievable, and that’s a big reason why people have LeBron on their Mount Rushmore or even as their Greatest Player of All Time.
King James finished this semifinal matchup with 30 points, five rebounds, and eight assists. It was a big night for Anthony Davis, just as the Lakers needed. He collected 16 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks. Austin Reaves would score 17 points off the bench during the win. New Orleans' leading scorer was Trey Murphy III who had 14 points. Zion finished with 13 points after scoring six in the first quarter. Both Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum only had nine points in the loss, shooting a combined 8 for 27. We’ll see the finale of the In-Season Tournament on Saturday night! Who will win the first-ever NBA Cup?
