History will be made on Saturday night when the Lakers and Pacers square off in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament Finals. The winner will forever be the answer to a trivia question by claiming the first-ever NBA Cup.
Both teams enter the IST Finals with a perfect 6-0 record in tournament play. The Pacers secured their spot first with a thrilling 128-119 win over the Bucks on Thursday night. Tyrese Haliburton has been the talk of the league as he added another stellar 27-point, 15-assist no turnover performance in the win.
He even ripped a page from Damian Lillard’s own book, letting the Mr. Dame Time himself know what time it was after drilling a late-game dagger three to seal the victory.
The Lakers had an easier time in their semifinal matchup with the Pelicans. Los Angeles crushed the Pels by 44 points to earn its way to the tournament final. LeBron James put on another mind-boggling display finishing with 30 points, eight assists and five boards in just 23 minutes of play. How he’s still doing this a couple of weeks away from his 39th birthday is beyond us all.
Anthony Davis added 16 points, 15 rebounds, five dimes, two steals and two blocks in the win.
While the Lakers obviously have their eyes set on the biggest prize the NBA has to offer in the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the season, the NBA Cup wouldn’t be a bad prize to collect in early December. Will the Pacers be able to upset the King, the Brow and one of the league’s most storied franchises? Or will this be another accomplishment to add the lengthy list of accolades for LeBron and the Lakers?
Here’s everything you need to know to watch the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament Finals game.
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 and ESPN2. After a crossover event for the semifinal games that featured ESPN and TNT commentators joining forces, the normal ESPN crew will handle broadcast duties with play-by-play legend Mike Breen joined by analysts Doc Rivers and Doris Burke.
Viewers can also stream the game on Sling TV.
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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.
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 |