The Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers became the first teams to clinch a spot in the knockout round of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament. Both teams got there in style Tuesday.
The Pacers reached via the biggest offensive explosion of the season and in franchise history, defeating the Atlanta Hawks by the comical score of 157-152 to improve their tourney record to 3-0 and clinch East Group A.
The team’s last group play game will be against the last-place and eliminated Detroit Pistons on Friday.
How do the Indiana Pacers score 157 points in a game and erase a 20-point deficit on the road in the process? It started with Tyrese Haliburton, who is well on his way to in-season tournament MVP honors (yes, that is a real thing). Entering the game averaging 25.5 points and 14 assists per game, Haliburton went off for 37 points on 11-of-18 shooting and 16 assists.
The wildest part of Haliburton’s night: 26 of those points came in the third quarter.
Buddy Hield was the hero of the fourth quarter, scoring 13 points in the final five minutes, making the tying and winning shots.
Seven Pacers players ended up scoring in double figures, which was enough to hold off a 38-point, eight-assist night from Trae Young, plus another 28 points from Dejounte Murray and 26 points from Bogdan Bogdanović.
While the Pacers’ win was alternatively fun and stressful, the Lakers’ group-clinching win went down as smooth as possible. Los Angeles clobbered the second-place Utah Jazz 131-99 in the final steps of a leisurely stroll into the knockout round.
The Lakers were up by 18 points late in the first quarter, 21 points at halftime and 27 points at the end of the third quarter, riding a 26-point, 16-rebound night from Anthony Davis plus 17 points and nine assists from LeBron James. The 38-year-old James became the first player in NBA history to reach 39,000 career points in the process.
The Lakers finished their group undefeated with wins over the 4-9 Jazz, the 3-11 Portland Trail Blazers, 3-10 Memphis Grizzlies and 8-6 Suns (who were without Devin Booker).
Tuesday’s NBA in-season tournament scores
Cleveland Cavaliers 122, Philadelphia 76ers 119 (OT)
Orlando Magic 126, Toronto Raptors 107
Indiana Pacers 157, Atlanta Hawks 152
Phoenix Suns 120, Portland Trail Blazers 107
Los Angeles Lakers 131, Utah Jazz 99
NBA in-season tournament standings
In the in-season tournament, every team will face the other four teams in its randomly selected group once. The top team in each group and a wild card in each conference will advance to a single-elimination knockout stage, with quarterfinals played on Dec. 4 and 5 in team arenas and the final two rounds played in Las Vegas on Dec. 7 and 9.
All games, save for the championship game, will count toward regular-season records. Tiebreakers are, in order: head-to-head record, point differential, total points scored, 2022-23 regular-season record and a random drawing.
East Group A
1. Indiana Pacers: 3-0, +16 (advanced to knockout round)
2. Cleveland Cavaliers: 2-1, +6
3. Philadelphia 76ers: 2-2, +9
4. Atlanta Hawks: 1-2, -9
5. Detroit Pistons: 0-3, -22 (eliminated)
East Group B
1. Milwaukee Bucks: 2-0, +36
2. Miami Heat: 2-0, +13
3. New York Knicks: 1-1, +16
4. Charlotte Hornets: 1-2, -30
5. Washington Wizards: 0-3, -35 (eliminated)
East Group C
1. Boston Celtics: 2-0, +17
2. Brooklyn Nets: 2-1, +8
3. Orlando Magic: 2-1, +5
4. Chicago Bulls: 0-2, -8
5. Toronto Raptors: 0-2, -22
West Group A
1. Los Angeles Lakers: 4-0, +74 (advanced to knockout round)
2. Phoenix Suns: 2-1, +13
3. Utah Jazz: 2-2, -13
4. Portland Trail Blazers: 1-3, -39 (eliminated)
5. Memphis Grizzlies: 0-3, -35 (eliminated)
West Group B
1. New Orleans Pelicans: 2-1, +23
2. Denver Nuggets: 2-1, +9
3. Houston Rockets: 1-1, -3
4. Dallas Mavericks: 1-2, -14
5. Los Angeles Clippers: 1-2, -15
West Group C
1. Sacramento Kings: 2-0, +16
2. Minnesota Timberwolves: 2-0, +10
3. Golden State Warriors: 1-1, -1
4. Oklahoma City Thunder: 1-2, +27
5. San Antonio Spurs: 0-3, -52 (eliminated)