The Los Angeles Lakers and the Indiana Pacers will stay in Las Vegas for a chance to win the inaugural NBA Cup.
Both teams had very tough paths to make it to the final game of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament. During the knockout games, Indiana had to knock off the Celtics and the Bucks, two of the favorites to win the NBA title, in back-to-back games.
In the Western Conference, meanwhile, the Lakers first had to defeat Kevin Durant and Devin Booker to get past the Phoenix Suns in the quarterfinals. It was a very controversial finish against Phoenix. But the Lakers were far more convincing in Las Vegas during a dominant victory over the Pelicans.
Los Angeles will face Indiana in the Finals of the NBA Cup on Dec. 9 at 8:30 PM ET.
The game will not count toward the regular-season standings but the winners will get this cool trophy and an enticing cash prize. Here is how both teams got to this point:
