LOS ANGELES — The Lakers are champions.

It’s only December, not June, but the Lakers won the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament by beating the Indiana Pacers, 123-109, Saturday in Las Vegas. Anthony Davis had one of his best games ever and LeBron James was voted the tournament MVP as the Lakers carved out a piece of history.

What You Need To Know

  • The Lakers made history becoming the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament champions behind a 41-point, 20-rebound performance from Anthony Davis

  • The Lakers went 7-0 during the tournament, with LeBron James voted as tournament MVP
  • Austin Reaves was a revelation off the bench (again) and scored 28 points, 22 of them in the first half, despite battling flu-like symptoms 
  • The Lakers also get a nice bump financially as each of their players won $500,000, as did coach Darvin Ham. Indiana players each won $200,000.

“It’s pretty cool to be able to say you was the first to do something,” James told Spectrum SportsNet. “This will go down in history. I’ll take some history for sure.”

James had more memorable moments during the Lakers’ 7-0 tournament run, but Davis was the more impactful player Saturday with 41 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots.

The Lakers made only two three-pointers, a stunningly low number in today’s NBA, but controlled the game from start to finish by ripping through the Pacers’ defense by the basket.

Indiana got to the tournament final after beating Boston by 10 and Milwaukee by nine, two strong victories against legit championship contenders next June.

But the Pacers faded a ruthless, pounding Lakers offense. The Lakers had 86 points in the paint while Indiana had a mere 44.

James made 10 shots, every single one of them in the paint. Ditto for Davis — he made 16 shots, all of them in the paint.

“We were just about getting to the basket,” Davis told ABC Sports. “We didn’t want to settle.”

The Lakers also get a nice bump financially. Each of their players won $500,000, as did coach Darvin Ham. Indiana players each won $200,000.

The Lakers got this far in the tournament by doing two things — playing stellar defense and leaning on James’ offense.

After the Lakers went 4-0 in pool play, James had 31 points and 11 assists in the quarterfinals as the Lakers tamped down Phoenix, 106-103. James then scored 30 points in the semifinals as the Lakers held New Orleans to a puny 89 points in a 44-point victory that was their largest since 2011.

James scored 24 points against Indiana but Davis was the X-factor Saturday, doing most of his damage against Myles Turner, a solid defensive-minded, shot-blocking center.

“That was a Shaq-like dominant performance,” James said of Davis.

Davis, for his part, liked the idea of being the first-ever in-season champions.

“Sounds great,” he said. “We know it’s not the real thing but we keep taking steps in the right direction. The first to do it. We’ll take it.”

Not to be forgotten, Austin Reaves was a revelation off the bench (again) and scored 28 points, 22 of them in the first half. He battled flu-like symptoms to make nine of 15 shots.

The Lakers’ defense continued to be a problem for opponents. It turned Turner into a non-factor (10 points before fouling out) and corralled Tyrese Haliburton to a degree.

The Pacers’ uber-talented point guard had been on a roll against Boston and Milwaukee, totaling 53 points, 28 assists and no turnovers. Haliburton was more human against the Lakers, finishing with 20 points, 11 assists and three turnovers.

Not everything was perfect for the Lakers. They missed their first 10 three-point shots until Taurean Prince finally drilled one from the left corner with 1:11 left in the third quarter. Saturday marked the first time since 2016 the Lakers won a game despite making only two three-pointers.

Then again, who cared? The Lakers became the first team ever to hoist the NBA Cup. They hope it’s not the only trophy they win this season.