BBNBA: Anthony Davis' double-double powers Lakers to In-Season Tournament championship game

Thursday night’s slate of NBA games wasn’t jam-packed, but it did feature former ‘Cats Anthony Davis and Isaiah Jackson. Both players did more than enough to power their teams to victories.

Alongside future NBA Hall of Famer LeBron James, Davis put up a double-double to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship birth in the first ever NBA In-Season Tournament. Meanwhile, Jackson also found himself in double-digits in the scoring column to help put the Indiana Pacers on top.

Davis puts up 15/15/5 in big win for the Lakers

For the 18th time in his NBA career, Anthony Davis scored 15+ points, grabbed 15+ rebounds, and dished out 5+ assists in a single game. Davis would reach that mark by recording the exact amount of rebounds and assists needed, and he would score 16 points in the game.

Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans had no answer for Davis and the Lakers as Los Angeles would cruise to a 133-89 win on Thursday night. The eight time all-star had his way in the paint all game long against the Pelicans. It didn’t matter what coach Willie Green drew up. Anthony Davis was untouchable.

This duo >>> pic.twitter.com/tjc7P5nUBT

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 8, 2023

With Anthony Davis leading the charge alongside LeBron James, the Lakers have been unstoppable in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament. Now, the Lakers will face the Indiana Pacers in the championship game on Saturday at 8:30 ET.

Isaiah Jackson helps put Pacers on top of Bucks

Coming into Thursday night, the Milwaukee Bucks were the top seed left in the NBA In-Season Tournament. However, despite having to go against a deadly duo in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, the Indiana Pacers squeezed by the Bucks 128-119 to advance to the championship game.

Like the Lakers, the Pacers have a strong duo between Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner. However, Isaiah Jackson proved his worth behind those guys. In just 16 minutes of play, Jackson recorded 11 points and six rebounds. A nice outing for the former ‘Cat to say the least.

Obviously, Haliburton’s 27 points and 15 assists were the highlight of the game, but Jackson’s performance was a good sign for the Pacers. If he can give them valuable minutes consistently like he did on Thursday, then he can be yet another weapon for that young, rising team. The Pacers could be great in the near future behind guys like Jackson giving support to Haliburton.

Tyrese Haliburton with a perfect bounce pass sets up Isaiah Jackson for the bucket + the foul 💪 pic.twitter.com/cwDuxVRt4Z

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) December 7, 2023

12/8/23 Statistics:

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Anthony Davis (LAL)	133-89 W vs NOLA	16	5-10 (0-2)	15	5	2	2	2	35	31
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	128-119 W vs MIL	11	5-7 (0-0)	6	0	1	0	1	14	16
Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)	133-89 W vs NOLA	2	1-2 (0-0)	5	1	0	1	0	9	14
Oscar Tshiebwe (IND)	128-119 W vs MIL	DNP – Coach’s Decision	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Chris Livingston (MIL)	128-119 L vs IND	DNP – Coach’s Decision	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
TyTy Washington Jr. (MIL)	128-119 L vs IND	DNP – Coach’s Decision	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

Tonight in the NBA:

• 7:00 ET | Pistons (Knox II) @ Magic
• 7:00 ET | Hawks @ 76ers (Maxey)
• 7:00 ET | Raptors @ Hornets (Washington, Richard)
• 7:30 ET | Wizards @ Nets
• 7:30 ET | Knicks (Quickley, Randle, Toppin) @ Celtics
• 8:00 ET | Warriors @ Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace)
• 8:00 ET | Cavaliers @ Heat (Adebayo, Herro)
• 8:00 ET | Timberwolves (Towns) @ Grizzlies
• 8:30 ET | Bulls @ Spurs (Johnson)
• 9:00 ET | Kings (Fox, Monk, Lyles) @ Suns (Booker)
• 9:00 ET | Rockets @ Nuggets (Murray)
• 10:00 ET (ESPN) | Clippers @ Jazz
• 10:00 ET | Mavericks @ Trail Blazers (Sharpe)