The NBA in-season tournament caps off on Saturday in Las Vegas, with the Los Angeles Lakers (14-9) and Indiana Pacers (12-8) battling for the honor of being the first-ever winner of the NBA Cup.
Will we see another special performance from Tyrese Haliburton? Bookmaker Pinnacle has the points total for him set at 28.5, with the odds for the over at -106, and the line for his assists stands at 12.5, with the odds for the over at +107.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: December 8th, 7:00 P.M. (EST)
Haliburton has had one extraordinary outing after another lately and looks ready to become one of the biggest stars in the league. He posted a career-high 44 points against Miami last Thursday, notched his first career triple-double in his next appearance in Monday’s in-season tournament quarterfinals against Boston and continued to crush it with a spectacular performance in Thursday’s semifinal against Milwaukee.
Versus the Bucks, the Pacers point guard logged his third game of the season with 25-plus points, 15-plus assists, and zero turnovers. No other player in the NBA has managed more than one such game in their career since the tracking of turnovers began in 1977-78. He’s yet to give away the ball in 77 minutes of action in the in-season tournament knockout games, dishing out 28 assists in the process.
The Lakers are seen as four-point favorites for the final, but they could be in trouble quickly if they allow Haliburton to pick up momentum early. He can heat up in a hurry from behind the arc, and Haliburton can also get his teammates going with his play-making.
Haliburton grew up idolizing LeBron James and can now put his name down in history against the man himself. However, LeBron definitely has his eyes set on the prize as well and won’t go down without a fight. He’s produced some of his best performances of the season in the in-season tournament games, averaging 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 8.2 assists with an incredible 62.5 percent three-point shooting.
These two teams have matched up well against each other in recent years, splitting the season series two seasons in a row. In 2022-23, nothing separated the sides across two meetings, as both beat one another on the road by one point. The first-ever NBA Cup final should be a very memorable one if the Lakers and Pacers continue in the same vein.
