LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers (14-9, 6-0 in In-Season Tournament games) will face off against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers (12-8, 6-0 in IST) in the NBA Cup championship on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (5:30 p.m. PT on ABC/ESPN2).

The Lakers cruised through their semifinal — as they have throughout the IST — in the form of a 44-point rout of the New Orleans Pelicans. LeBron led the way with a show-stopping 30 points and eight assists in 23 minutes. The 38-year-old was taking charges, flying around defensively, and drilling logo triples. He appears dead-set on adding “In-Season Tournament MVP” to his remarkable résumé (as he muscles into the regular-season MVP race). Of course, the $500,000 is nice, too. (Alas, the Lakers reportedly will not be raising a banner at Crypto.com Arena, should they triumph).

The Pacers have chugged through the tournament (+59 point differential) behind a league-best offense and All-NBA-caliber production from the 23-year-old Haliburton. They've defeated an impressive string of opponents on their way to the championship match: the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers. Unfortunately, Indiana will be without Andrew Nembhard on Saturday.

Here are three bold Lakers predictions ahead of the NBA In-Season Tournament championship.

3. The IST Lakers will stay hot

For whatever reason, the Lakers have turned into LeBron's long-coveted lasers on the funky courts. In non-tournament games, they rank in the bottom five in 3-point shooting percentage, makes, and attempts. In six tournament games, they're shooting 45% from deep, including a 17-for-35 (48.5%) performance vs. the Pelicans.

The Pacers typically sacrifice paint protection for perimeter defense, although opponents have still made a league-best 41% of their 3s against Rick Carlisle's squad. The Lakers, led by LeBron, D'Angelo Russell, and Taurean Prince, will continue to defy the odds and take advantage of Indy ramping up their efforts to defend the paint.

Los Angeles will see a stream of open looks and make over 15 triples. They'll need them to keep pace with the Pacers' stable of snipers.

2. Austin Reaves will flirt with a triple-double

By this point, the Lakers can — and do — safely rely on Reaves to rise to the occasion. The bigger the moment, the colder (in a good way) Reaves seems to play. It's one of the many reasons LeBron and Anthony Davis deeply trust him in crunch time — and one of the primary reasons the organization views Reaves as an irreplaceable building block.

Reaves enters the IST final in good form. He's averaging 18.3 points on .500/.389/.923 splits over his past three games. He needed only 23 minutes on Thursday to post 17 points, five boards, and seven assists. Amid a frenzied, heavily pro-Lakers environment, Reaves will, once again, be HIM. He'll cap his tournament run with a near-triple-double, and earn that Riviera membership.

1. The Lakers will effectively limit Haliburton

Haliburton has been the breakout star of the In-Season Tournament. Over the past two IST games — electrifying Pacers wins — Hali's put up 53 points, 17 rebounds, and 28 assists … and zero turnovers! He's fast becoming the most dynamic pick-and-roll ball-handler in the sport.

“They score a lot of points,” said Darvin Ham. “Obviously, the head of the snake is Tyrese with good role players around him who complement him very well. They’re young, they’re scrappy, they get out and run and play the right way so it’s going to be a test for our defense for sure but it’s going to be an exciting game.”

Now that the Lakers are back to full strength (minus Gabe Vincent), they have the requisite tools to pester the lanky point guard. The 6'8 Cam Reddish will likely start on Haliburton, though Prince, Jarred Vanderbilt, and later Reaves and Max Christie can take turns. In pick-and-roll scenarios, Anthony Davis's elite switchability will be on full display.

In general, the Lakers' bolstered defense has been championship-caliber as of late. They'll bring the appropriate energy, effort, and focus on Saturday night.

Prediction: Lakers (-3.5) 108, Pacers 100. AD dominates defensively, while LeBron sets the tone and earns IST MVP.