LeBron James, Lakers win NBA’s first in-season tournament by beating Pacers, 123-109, in Las Vegas as both players and fans embrace new format

Possibly the start of a tradition, or simply a doomed PR stunt: the first NBA season tournament was easily won by LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday evening in Las Vegas.

The Lakers defeated the upstart Indiana Pacers 123-109, putting on a championship-worthy performance even though the NBA Finals are still six months away.

Most importantly, players and fans following online seemed to embrace the new format, which was designed to generate interest in the early months of the NBA season.

Anthony Davis had season highs of 41 points and 20 rebounds for the Lakers, although it was James who came away with tournament MVP.

Austin Reaves added 28 points, James had 24 points and 11 rebounds and D'Angelo Russell added 13 points. Davis was 16 of 24 from the field and also had five assists.

Tyrese Haliburton had 20 points and 11 assists for Indiana, Bennedict Mathurin also scored 20 points and Aaron Nesmith had 15.

This match was the only one in the tournament that did not count in the rankings, but there was still plenty at stake. In addition to taking home a trophy, Lakers players on standard two-way contracts earned $500,000 each and the Pacers received $200,000 each. Players on a two-way deal will take home half of these amounts.

LeBron James (23) controls the ball against Indiana Pacers forward Bruce Brown

While the stakes weren't as high as a playoff, there was such a spirit among the pro-Lakers crowd during the tournament and title game.

It's also another trophy for James, who has won four NBA championships, and he made no secret of his desire to add the title to his resume.

In the Pacers, the Lakers found an equally energetic team led by a rising star in this league. Haliburton became a familiar face during this tournament, but the Lakers limited his damage on Saturday. With Reddish handling most of the defensive duties at Haliburton, he often passed to a teammate rather than trying to force the play.

The Lakers led for most of the game, although Indiana remained well behind until Los Angeles went on a 15-3 run late in the fourth quarter to turn a 100-96 lead into a 115-99 lead.

Among those in attendance were basketball Hall of Famers Julius Erving and Shaquille O'Neal, football Hall of Famers Tim Brown and Shannon Sharpe, former tennis star Steffi Graf, former boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., chef Bobby Flay and rapper Flavor Flav. Members of the two-time champion Las Vegas Aces, including WNBA Finals MVP A'ja Wilson, were also watching.