The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 133-89 on Thursday night to advance to the NBA In-Season Tournament championship game. LeBron James scored 30 points in less than three quarters of play.

On Saturday night, the Lakers will compete for the first-ever NBA Cup against the unexpecteԀ Indiana Pacers. In the other semifinal, Indiana defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 128-119 to advance. The title game will not be included in the regular-season standings, in contrast to the previous tournament games.

James stated that Los Angeles’ journey to the championship game is a testament to the team’s potential. The defense, which limited New Orleans to 35.8% shooting, and the Lakers’ 59-42 rebounding edge also delighted him.

“I think we are starting to get a feel for what we need to become a team for us to win basketball games, to be consistent,” James stated. “On defense, we’re really beginning to realize that we have to play defense every single night. We give ourselves an opportunity to win every night when we play defense.”

For Los Angeles, Taurean Prince finished with 15 points, Anthony Davis had 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Austin Reaves scored 17 points.

With 14 points, Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans. Herbert Jones had ten points, and Zion Williamson had thirteen.

Although he gave his players credit in the locker room for reaching the semifinals, Pelicans coach Willie Green stated, “tonight was a complete letdown.” We’re all let down by our lack of competitiveness versus the Lakers. It’s necessary to give them credit. They emerged and took control. Nevertheless, we made a mistake tonight.”

After the first quarter, New Orleans had a 30-29 lead. However, James scored the first 11 points for the Lakers in the second quarter, turning a one-point deficit into a 40-33 lead.

James nailed three consecutive 3-pointers during that period. The final two ignited the pro-Lakers fans with the league and tournament logos. The celebrity, who is over 39 years old, even accepted three accusations.

“Any time your best player sacrifices his body, takes three charges in the first half, especially with Zion coming down the paint, it sets a tone,” Reaves stated. “That shows to everybody else how locked in he is to win this, and how locked in he is every game.”

James had scored 21 points on 7 of 9 shots by the half. He was substituted for the bench halfway through the third quarter, so he should have an abundance of energy for the championship game against a Pacers club that like playing fast.

“They are young,” stated Davis. “They have a strong work ethic. They leave and run, acting appropriately. Therefore, it will undoubtedly be a test of our defense.”

Los Angeles has won four of the last five games and three in a row. The Lakers’ focus, tenacity, and selflessness over this past stretch, according to coach Darvin Ham, have made them “dаmn near unstoppable.”

“It´s a beautiful thing to see this early,” Ham stated. The fact that this tournament is more intense than a regular-season game, in my opinion, makes that clear. That’s not how it feels. At least in the early stages, you can see individuals for who they really are in those vulnerable moments when the stakes are much higher.”