Lakers vs. Pacers final score, results: Anthony Davis dominates, LA wins first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament

Gilbert McGregor

•
Lakers vs. Pacers final score, results: Anthony Davis dominates, LA wins first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament image

The NBA Cup has a home in Los Angeles.

Thanks to a dominant performance from Anthony Davis, the Lakers defeated the Pacers in the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament Championship. In 41 minutes, Davis finished with 41 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and four blocks to lead LA to a 123-109 win.

In addition to Davis' dominance, LeBron James turned in a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds to go with four assists while Austin Reaves contributed with 28 points off the bench.

While Davis gets the game ball, James was named MVP of the NBA In-Season Tournament.

For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton led the way with 20 points and 11 assists while the bench contributed 45 points, led by 20 points from second-year guard Bennedict Mathurin.

The Sporting News tracked score updates and highlights from the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament championship below.

MORE: Why NBA stars are motivated by In-Season Tournament prize money

Lakers vs. Pacers final score

Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Lakers 34 31 25 33 123
Pacers 29 31 22 27 109

Lakers vs. Pacers final score, results from 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament championship

All times Eastern.

Final: Lakers 123, Pacers 109

11:25 p.m.: The Lakers are winners of the first-ever NBA Cup.

Thanks in large part to a dominant performance from Anthony Davis, the Lakers win the championship by virtue of a 14-point win over a feisty Pacers team. Davis finished with 41 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and four blocks while LeBron James finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds.

The first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament ends with one of the league's most storied franchises taking home the hardware.

11:10 p.m.: "I'm him."

Anthony Davis has been nothing short of dominant. He cuts for a layup to bring his total up to 39 points to go along with 20 rebounds and the Lakers have a 16-point lead with 3:10 remaining in the game.

LA is on the verge of becoming the first-ever NBA Cup winner.

Lakers 115, Pacers 99

11 p.m.: We've got quite the battle on our hands.

As the fourth quarter winds down, these two teams are going blow for blow. With 5:25 left in regulation, the Lakers lead by six thanks to a triple from Cam Reddish.

Anthony Davis is doing it all. In addition to his 29 points, 18 rebounds and five assists, he's got four blocks, one of which just led to a big-time swing. If we've learned anything from this game, however, it's that these Pacers will respond, again.

Lakers 105, Pacers 99

10:47 p.m.: There's no quit in this Pacers team.

Another quick run from Indiana has cut the deficit to three points with 10:30 remaining in regulation. Timeout Los Angeles. It's a quick 7-2 run from the Pacers to open the final frame.

Lakers 92, Pacers 89

End of third quarter: Lakers 90, Pacers 82

10:41 p.m.: As the third quarter comes to a close, Bennedict Mathurin drains a running 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut into the deficit.

Anthony Davis' monster night continues. He's up to 27 points, 16 rebounds and four assists. LeBron James has 20 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Off the bench, Austin Reaves has 24 points, two rebounds and two assists.

Tyrese Haliburton is up to 15 points to lead the Pacers, who have benefitted from their reserves. Aaron Nesmith (13), Mathurin (12) and Isaiah Jackson (10) have each reached double digits.

10:34 p.m.: Austin Reaves continues to put numbers on the board, scoring a transition layup to push the Lakers' lead back out to double digits.

Reaves' 24 points match the game-high total of Anthony Davis.

Timeout Pacers with 3:16 remaining in the third quarter.

Lakers 84, Pacers 73

10:23 p.m.: The Pacers won't go away but the Lakers seem to have an answer each time.

Los Angeles leads by eight at the midway point of the third quarter.

Anthony Davis is up to 22 points to match Austin Reaves' game-high total. On the Pacers side, Tyrese Haliburton is up to eight assists to go with his nine points on 3-of-5 shooting.

Lakers 77, Pacers 69

10:13 p.m.: It's a quick 9-3 sprint from the Lakers to start the second half and the Pacers call a timeout as they face a double-digit deficit. Making matters worse for Indiana is the fact that Myles Turner has picked up his fourth foul.

Anthony Davis, who is up to 21 points to go along with 12 rebounds, is largely responsible for Turner's foul trouble. LeBron James is up to 17 points to go along with six rebounds, two steals and an assist.

Lakers 74, Pacers 63

Halftime: Lakers 65, Pacers 60

9:51 p.m.: It's halftime in Las Vegas and the Lakers take a five-point lead into the break.

Austin Reaves is up to a game-high 22 points off the bench. He's 7 of 9 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free throw line. Anthony Davis has been dominant with 17 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and an assist in 19 minutes.

LeBron James picked up three fouls in the first half but has 12 points, five rebounds and two steals.

On the Pacers side of things, Aaron Nesmith leads the way with 11 points off the bench while Obi Toppin has scored 10 points. Tyrese Haliburton has seven points (on 2-of-4 shooting) and six assists but has also committed three turnovers.

Indiana is 21 of 22 from the free throw line while LA is 11 of 15. It's been tightly called so far, as these teams continue to go back and forth, the second half could get very interesting.

9:37 p.m.: The Pacers just won't go away and LeBron James has now picked up his third foul.

Timeout on the floor as LA's lead dwindled back down to three points. Indiana will get the ball out of the break with an opportunity to tie or cut the deficit to one.

Lakers 52, Pacers 49

9:31 p.m.: Now Anthony Davis is picking up where he left off in the first quarter.

Davis is up to 17 points, nine rebounds and an assist in the half, taking the torch from LeBron James, who sits after bringing his total up to 12 points in the game. Austin Reaves is up to 13 points in the first half for LA.

Still, Indiana is hanging around thanks to 10 first-half points from Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith's nine points off the bench.

Timeout on the floor with 5:12 remaining in the half.

Lakers 52, Pacers 45

9:21 p.m.: LeBron James has entered the chat with a few resounding statements.

James has been dominant to start the second quarter, scoring six points and pulling down a few rebounds to bring his total for the game up to 10 points and three rebounds. James' reaction to his last two buckets illustrates just how much this title would mean for him.

Timeout Indiana.

Lakers 44, Pacers 38

End of first quarter: Lakers 34, Pacers 29

9:13 p.m.: After one, the Lakers have a five-point lead over the Pacers.

Anthony Davis has been dominant, finishing the quarter with 13 points, eight rebounds and an assist. Austin Reaves has come off the bench to contribute seven quick points while D'Angelo Russell has scored five points, pulled down two rebounds and dished out two assists.

The Pacers, who are shooting 9 of 24 from the field as a team, are led by seven points from Obi Toppin.

It's been quiet for stars not named Anthony Davis. Tyrese Haliburton has three points, three assists and two turnovers. LeBron James, who has picked up two fouls, has four points and a rebound.

9:09 p.m.: LeBron James picks up his second foul of the game with 1:44 remaining in the first.

James will head to the bench and it's unclear how long he'll sit due to foul trouble.

9:03 p.m.: The second break the action comes with 2:58 remaining in the first quarter and Los Angeles maintaining a five-point lead.

This game has been all about Anthony Davis so far. He leads the Lakers with 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting, four rebounds and an assist. As a team, the Lakers are shooting 13 of 20 (65.0 percent) from the field.

The Pacers are led by seven points from Obi Toppin while Tyrese Haliburton has yet to make his mark thanks to the stifling defense of Los Angeles.

Lakers 28, Pacers 23

8:50 p.m.: We're about five minutes into the game and the Lakers lead by three. The Pacers will have a chance to cut into the deficit as Myles Turner has one more free throw after the timeout.

It's been a lot of Anthony Davis early on as he leads all scorers with eight points on 4-of-4 shooting. The Pacers are led by five points from Obi Toppin. Tyrese Haliburton has three points and an assist but has already committed two turnovers.

Lakers 15, Pacers 12

8:43 p.m.: It's game time in Las Vegas. Buddy Hield gets Indiana on the board first with a 3-pointer assisted by none other than Tyrese Haliburton.

Let the battle for the NBA Cup begin.

Pregame

8:20 p.m.: Teams have made it to the floor for warm-ups and we're within 20 minutes of tip off.

Buckle up.

8:15 p.m.: Something to monitor: The Athletic's Shams Charania reports that Lakers guard Austin Reaves is under the weather but will play with a non-COVID illness.

8 p.m.: Starters are in and there are no surprises on either side.

The Lakers are going with a starting unit of D'Angelo Russell, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Starting for the Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin and Myles Turner.

5:30 p.m.: The stage is set once again and LeBron James looks ready to lead his team to the NBA Cup. Standing in the way, however, will be Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers.

Lakers vs. Pacers start time

  • Date: Saturday, Dec. 9
  • Time: 8:30 p.m. ET | 5:30 p.m. PT

Lakers vs. Pacers will tip off around 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 9. The game will be played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

What channel is Lakers vs. Pacers on?

  • Date: Saturday, Dec. 9
  • TV channel: ABC and ESPN2
  • Live streaming: Sling TV

Lakers vs. Pacers will air on ABC. Comedian Kevin Hart's alternate "NBA Unplugged" broadcast will air on ESPN2. Viewers can also stream the game on Sling TV.

Fans in the U.S. can watch the biggest games of the 2023-24 NBA season on Sling TV, which is now offering HALF OFF your first month! Sling base packages (Sling Orange or Sling Blue) start at just $20 for your first month, or you can get Sling Orange + Blue starting at $27.50 for your first month.

There are no long-term contracts, and you can change your channel lineup anytime. DVR is included along with thousands of on-demand shows and movies.

NBA In-Season Tournament schedule, bracket

Monday, Dec. 4

Results
Pacers 122, Celtics 112
Pelicans 127, Kings 117

Tuesday, Dec. 5

Results
Bucks 146, Knicks 122
Lakers 106, Suns 103

Thursday, Dec. 7

Results
Pacers 128, Bucks 119
Lakers 133, Pelicans 89

Saturday, Dec. 9

Game Time (ET) National TV
Lakers vs. Pacers 8:30 p.m. ABC

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.