Lakers vs. Pelicans score, takeaways: LeBron James dominates to lead L.A. to In-Season Tournament title game

James led the way for Los Angeles against New Orleans on Thursday night

After two exciting games in Las Vegas, we have our finalists for the league's inaugural In-Season Tournament. After the Indiana Pacers took care of the Milwaukee Bucks in the early game, the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans squared off in the second. The game was initially close, with New Orleans leading after a quarter and even being within three late in the second.

But in the second half, the Lakers took over. A dominant 43-17 third-quarter drubbing led to a 133-89 blowout when it was all said and done. LeBron James led the way with 30 points in 23 minutes, while the Pelicans were completely helpless as the game progressed. No New Orleans starter exceeded the 13 points scored by Zion Williamson.

Now, the Lakers prepare for a winner-take-all game on Saturday against the Indiana Pacers, a team they have a bit of recent history with. They were engaged in trade rumors for most of last season involving Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, and all eight of their games over the past four seasons have been decided by double digits. With that matchup, this tournament is going to end with a bang. 

Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Laker blowout

1. An unusual Laker victory

It might be hard to believe now, but the Lakers lost the physical portion of this game early on. They were getting outrebounded in the first quarter and didn't overtake the Pelicans in terms of paint points until later in the game. The Lakers are built to play bully-ball. The kind of game they played on Thursday was unusual, to say the least.

The Lakers take the fewest 3-pointers in the NBA. They rank 29th in 3-point percentage. But Thursday was an outlier shooting night. They made 17 of their 35 3-point looks. That's what powered the run in the second quarter that initially gave them separation. Now, in a vacuum, this isn't all that meaningful. Outlier shooting nights happen, and the Lakers shouldn't expect one against the Pacers. Indiana allows by far the fewest 3s in the NBA. But it's a lesson for the Lakers. They may not be a shooting team by design, but even improving their shot diet slightly can have really drastic implications for the rest of the offense. Speaking of which...

2. How that shooting affects the rest of the Laker offense

I just want to take you through one play in the second quarter to give a glimpse into the impact good shooting can have for the Lakers, or more specifically, LeBron James. After shooting roughly 32% on 3-pointers last season, he's up to around 39% this season, and it's changing the way teams are defending him. Take this second-quarter play. James had just made three 3-pointers to open the quarter, and the Lakers set up a high pick-and-roll for James and Austin Reaves. Because James had just made those 3s, the Pelicans threw two defenders on the ball to force it out of LeBron's hands. He snuck it to Reaves, who got the four-on-three because the Pelicans doubled James and took advantage by getting the ball to Jaxson Hayes for the and-one.

In a perfect world, teams want to go under screens on James pick-and-rolls. His pull-up 3-pointer is his least dangerous weapon, so they'd rather gear up for a drive or pass. If James is making those 3s, though, it forces defenses to try to take them away. When they do? James, arguably the greatest decision-maker in NBA history, gets to take advantage with passes like that. Shooting is his only weakness. When they go in, he's a perfect basketball player.

3. Critical rest going into the final

The Lakers and Pacers both get a day off before the tournament final, but the rest means different things to those teams. The Pacers are an incredibly young team. The Lakers, at least at the top with James and Anthony Davis, are an older one. Playing the Pacers is an especially taxing experience. They are the NBA's fastest team. If you aren't prepared to run with them, they'll drop 150 on you.

From that perspective, getting the blowout was really important for the Lakers. James played only 23 minutes, and Davis played 31. Most of those minutes were relatively low-stress. Nobody in the rotation took their usual workload. It's a minor benefit of winning a game so handily, but against Indiana, it could be the difference between winning and losing the NBA Cup.

[Dec 7, 2023 at 11:23 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

All-around domination

The Lakers have used 12 players in this game. Christian Wood hasn't taken a shot yet. Max Christie is 1-of-3 from the field. But everyone else the Lakers have used is shooting 50% or better from the field. It's extremely rare that everybody on a team plays well in a single game. That's what the Lakers got tonight. 

[Dec 7, 2023 at 11:13 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

A major break for the Lakers

Yes, the Lakers will get a day off before they play the Pacers for the championship. But Indiana's incredible pace is still exhausting to play against. Getting through this game only having to use Anthony Davis and LeBron James for 23 minutes apiece is going to be very meaningful for an older Lakers team on Saturday.

[Dec 7, 2023 at 11:11 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

An absolute bludgeoning

This was a 53-50 game with around three minutes left in the second quarter. It's 110-71 after three quarters. That's a 57-21 Lakers run in around 15 minutes of gameplay. There's no real point of analysis there. It's just been a complete and utter beatdown.

[Dec 7, 2023 at 11:03 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Unsung heroes of the night

The story here will obviously be the incredible night LeBron James has had, but both C.J. McCollum and Brandon Ingram are still in single digits scoring. Give credit to the army of Laker wings defensively. Cam Reddish, in particular, has been sensational against C.J. McCollum.

[Dec 7, 2023 at 10:58 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

How much of what we're seeing tonight will translate to the final?

The Lakers really don't typically rely on 3's as much as they have tonight, but it's worth remembering that they likely won't have that option against the Pacers in the tournament final. Indiana allows the fewest 3's in the league by far... but the most paint shots. That's going to have to be a bully-ball game for the Lakers in a way this one wasn't.

[Dec 7, 2023 at 10:55 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

A totally abnormal Lakers game

The Lakers are leading this game by 26 points... but they're getting outscored in the paint. This is incredibly unusual. The Lakers live in the paint on offense. Tonight, they're 13-of-25 from deep. That changes the entire complexion of their offense, and it's worth exploring moving forward for a team that just rarely shoots 3-pointers.

[Dec 7, 2023 at 10:48 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Time to start getting ready for Lakers-Pacers?

This thing is getting out of hand. The Lakers are on a 26-10 run since the end of the second quarter and currently lead 79-60. The Pelicans look like they're completely out of gas. Get ready for the old stalwart vs. the young guns, because barring something crazy, we're going to get Lakers-Pacers in the tournament final. 

[Dec 7, 2023 at 10:43 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Pelicans look lifeless

This was a three-point game late in the second quarter. And then, LeBron James returned, and it's been a bloodbath ever since. The Lakers now lead by 18. New Orleans has scored only two points so far in the third quarter.

[Dec 7, 2023 at 10:22 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

LeBron is treating this like a playoff game

LeBron James has 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting so far in this game. The Lakers are +19 with him on the floor. He leads the game on both sides with four assists. LeBron wants this trophy. He doesn't exactly need another feather in his cap, but he's playing for it all the same. 

[Dec 7, 2023 at 10:16 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Like clockwork

LeBron James just spent three minutes on the bench. The Lakers lost those minutes by six points. It's like clockwork with them. Fortunately, this is a high-stakes game. We might see James play the bulk of the second half to get them to the championship game. If he's playing—especially at the level he has tonight—the Lakers are at a major advantage.