The Los Angeles Lakers have looked like a totally different team during NBA In-Season Tournament matchups. They had their sixth one against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday, a semifinal game. It was a massacre, as the fans in Las Vegas were treated to a blowout.
The Lakers won 133-89, advancing to the inaugural In-Season Championship Game against the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks earlier in the night, 128-119 to punch their ticket to the final.
The Pelicans actually played the Lakers tough early in the game, leading by one point at the end of the first quarter. But, by halftime, Los Angeles had opened up a 13-point lead. In the third quarter, things got really ugly.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: LeBron James & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
The Lakers outscored the Pelicans 43-17 out of halftime before also defeating them in the fourth quarter 23-18, resulting in the ugly blowout. Six different players scored in double-figures with LeBron James leading the way.
Despite playing only 22 minutes, James scored a game-high 30 points as the Pelicans had no answer for the former MVP. He shot 9-of-12 from the field, made all four of his 3-point attempts and all eight of hiss free throws as he dominated the offensive side of the ball.
James wasn’t only scoring, as his facilitating and playmaking were on full display as well. He finished the game with eight assists and an incredible +36 plus/minus ratio. In the process, he made some NBA history.
According to OptaSTATS on X, formerly Twitter, James became the first player in NBA history to have the most points and assists, best field goal, free throw, 3-point percentage and free throws attempted and fewest turnovers in the same game. Even when accounting for ties in the stats, no player has yet to achieve what James did on Thursday.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: LeBron James & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
It is truly a marvel to behold what James can do on the court at this stage of his career. He is in season 21, and when you account for how many playoff games he has been in, he has played nearly 3.5 more seasons of NBA basketball.
After becoming the first player in league history to score 30+ points at least 20 years apart, he accomplished another impressive feat on Thursday. What will be next for the future Hall of Famer? He is hoping another championship, as the Lakers can become the inaugural In-Season Champions on Saturday night.
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