Following the Lakers’ win over the Phoenix Suns two weeks ago in the first game of the In-Season tournament, forward Anthony Davis reported an unnamed teammate expressed giddiness over the potential implications.
“‘One step closer to $500 (thousand),’” Davis recalled a teammate saying. “I never heard that before. That’s a little extra motivation.”
Normally, the Lakers solely cared about collecting NBA championships. With the Lakers (9-7) winning all four of their games in Group Play on the tournament, however, they will host a quarterfinal game on Dec. 4 or Dec. 5 as a favorite to win the inaugural NBA Cup.
One of the driving forces? Each player will collect $500,000 if they win the championship game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 9.
“Guys like money. Not like it; they love it,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “That incentive right there is huge. For all of those reasons, we want to make sure we take care of business.”
Below are five reasons why the Lakers should be able to take care of business.
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Money
As mentioned before, the Lakers have raised their eyebrows over the NBA’s financial incentives for appearing in the quarterfinals ($50,000 each player), the semifinals ($100,000), and the NBA Cup ($200,000). Nothing tops the biggest prize with winning the actual championship, though.
“500 sounds real good,” Davis said, smiling. “We’re going to bring that juice.”
It might be puzzling to think multi-million dollar athletes care so much about an additional half a million dollars. Lakers star LeBron James has already become a billionaire and is under contract this season for just under $47 million. Davis agreed to a three-year extension last summer worth $186 million to complement the two years and $84 million left on his current contract.
Nonetheless, the Lakers have a handful of players making substantially less money. Christian Wood and Cam Reddish signed with the Lakers on veteran’s minimum deals worth around $2 million. As the Lakers’ No. 35 pick in the 2022 draft, third-year guard Max Christie is slated to make just above $1 million this season.
“For the younger guys, it’s amazing. They get that money to take care of their family, and their family can take care of their family,” Wood said. “So, it’s big. I’ve been in the league for a long time. So, I’m trying to save it as much as I can. Who wouldn’t try to save that much money?”
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The Lakers have played well so far in the In-Season tournament
In fairness, other teams may also harbor the same financial motivations. The Indiana Pacers (3-0), Sacramento Kings (2-0) and Minnesota Timberwolves (2-0), Milwaukee Bucks (2-0), and Boston Celtics (2-0) have also gone undefeated in Group Play.
Yet, the Lakers have exerted their dominance in the field. They have beaten the Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, and Utah Jazz by a combined 74 points.
That may not affect the overall regular-season standings. The point differentials determine potential tie-breakers, however, for the In-Season Tournament. The Kings (+16) and Wolves (+10) trail the Lakers substantially in point differential.
More separation will arise when Sacramento and Minnesota play on Friday. The winner of that game would have to win their final In-Season tournament game on Nov. 28 and pass the Lakers in point differential to secure the West’s top seed. Meanwhile, the Lakers will host their quarterfinal game at home (Dec. 4 or Dec. 5).
“You can sleep in your own bed and be in your own facility at home with all the resources that you have in that building,” Ham said, “And (there’s) all of the comfort you have in your own home and not having to jump on a plane and jump on a bus and go to a hotel with a foreign bed. It plays into that.”
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James has delayed Father Time
Technically, the Lakers have listed James as questionable since missing their regular-season win against the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 12 with a left calf contusion. After completing a pre-game warmup, however, the 38-year-old James has always received clearance to play before eventually dominating.
For the past six games, James has averaged 26.5 points while shooting 59.4% from the field and 53.7% from 3-point range, along with 7.7 rebounds and 8.5 assists. He likely would have posted bigger numbers had he not played limited minutes against Memphis (23) and Utah (34) while the Lakers coasted to a double-digit win.
“Just trying to push the limit and see how far I can take this thing,” James explained what’s driving him in his 21st NBA season. “It’s me vs. Father Time. So, I’m trying to change the narrative and start off last year and see if I can keep it going.”
Both the Lakers and James have spoken generally that he remains disciplined with his training, dieting and sleeping habits. James has also credited his mom (Gloria), wife (Savannah), two sons (Bronny, Bryce), and daughter (Zhuri) for providing “a lot of inspiration.”
“I’m just going out there and just playing free,” James said. “I feel like it’s not anything I cannot do that I did in my 20s out on the basketball floor.”
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Davis has anchored the Lakers’ defense
Davis fields ongoing skepticism on whether he can stay durable and consistent. Sure, Davis has nursed a left hip injury that has affected him in back-to-backs because of minimal recovery. Yes, Davis has had occasional sub-par offensive games. Davis has at least stayed reliable on defense, though.
Davis averages a league-leading 3.1 blocks per game. Davis ranks third in rebounds per contest (12.0). And even with Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt sidelined all season with a left heel injury, Davis has ensured that the Lakers have fared ninth overall in defensive rating (110.9).
Not only have the Lakers reached that level with Davis’ rim protection, but his teammates appear more comfortable with playing aggressively and taking risks because they can fall back on Davis’ insurance.
“He’s taken total ownership on that side of the ball,” Ham said. “He’s our middle linebacker. He coaches our defense and he communicates with everyone that is out there in front of them. He has the ability to cover for people and be versatile, with his activity in pick and rolls and with his ability to switch off.”
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The Lakers would have home-court advantage in Vegas
Technically, the Lakers only will play at home in their quarterfinal game. Should they advance to the semifinals (Dec. 7) and championship game (Dec. 9), the Lakers will play at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That setting might field as many Lakers chants as it would at Crypto.com Arena.
During Las Vegas Summer League every year in July, Lakers fans have typically represented the largest fanbase at Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavillion. The Lakers also usually play an exhibition game in Las Vegas every year because of their fanbase’s representation in Sin City.
“You’ll see a lot of purple and gold shirts in there, especially with it being so close to California,” Wood predicted. “It’s going to be fun.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.