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| Promotional material for the championship game, featuring Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers (left) and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers (right). | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Event information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Event | 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date | December 9, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arena | T-Mobile Arena | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| City | Paradise, Nevada | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Lakers by 4.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referees | David Guthrie Tyler Ford Mitchell Ervin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 19,021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 → | |||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament championship game was the final game of the inaugural edition of the NBA In-Season Tournament. The game was played on December 9, 2023, in the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. A rematch of the 2000 NBA Finals, the game was contested by the Indiana Pacers of the Eastern Conference and the Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference. Unlike other games, this game does not count towards the regular-season standings, nor affect the regular-season performances of the players.
The Lakers won the championship game by beating the Pacers 123–109, consequently clinching the first-ever NBA Cup title. The Lakers' Anthony Davis had a 41-point and 20-rebound game to lead the team, while LeBron James was named the In-Season Tournament MVP.
Participants[]
Los Angeles Lakers[]
This was the Lakers' second season under Darvin Ham as head coach. At the day of the championship game, the Lakers were favored by 4.5 points to win the inaugural NBA Cup by odds makers. Before heading into the championship game, the Lakers were the 5th-placed team in the Western Conference with a 14–9 record.
Indiana Pacers[]
The Pacers knocked off the Philadelphia 76ers in group stage play, the Boston Celtics in the quarter-finals, and the Milwaukee Bucks in the semi-finals, which meant they defeated the top-three Eastern Conference team from the last season. The Pacers had the league's best offense coming into the game. Before heading into the championship game, the Pacers were the 5th-placed team in the Eastern Conference with a 12–8 record in the regular season thus far.