For the first time in history, a cup was held in the NBA, or as it is called the "In-Season Tournament", and the big winner of the 2023/2023 season is the Los Angeles Lakers led by LeBron James. The standout in the game itself was Anthony Davis who finished with 41 points 20 rebounds, five assists and four blocks leading his team to a 109:123 victory over the Indiana Pacers in the finals held in Las Vegas. James' numbers throughout the tournament earned him the title of tournament MVP.
In the league itself, the Lakers are in fifth place in the West with 14 wins against nine losses. The format of the tournament was initially held in a group stage, of six groups with five teams in each group. The groups, determined by lottery, were made up of five levels of three teams according to the balances in the previous season. Each team played one game against every other team in the group with the games also counting toward the league's regular season standings.
After the group stage, the three knockout stages took place in a single game format, as a quarter-final stage, the first six teams played in the groups and the best runner-up from each region (East/West). The Lakers rose from first place in Group A in the West, and beat the Phoenix Suns in the quarterfinals, New Orleans in the semis and, as mentioned, Indiana in the finals.
