3 Los Angeles Lakers who deserve most credit for In-Season Tournament title win over Pacers

The Los Angeles Lakers were able to beat the Indiana Pacers, 123-109, to win the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament in the championship game in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

While we may still be trying to factor how the In-Season Tournament will be weighed legacy-wise for LeBron James, Tyrese Haliburton or anyone involved, it was clear that the Lakers were highly invested in winning this thing as the squad won every game that they played in the tournament.

Before we head to the countdown for NBA Christmas, let's look at the three Lakers who won this game for Los Angeles and led the way to the first-ever In-Season Tournament crown.

3. Austin Reaves

At times, the Lakers were letting the Pacers back into this game. When that happened, however, Austin Reaves was part of the effort to make sure Indiana never got close enough. Reaves ended up with 24 points on 60 percent shooting from the floor.

Reaves started the season in a rough patch -- perhaps due to fatigue from the FIBA World Cup -- but has started to look like his normal self of late. Moreover, the national spotlight of the In-Season Tournament Championship Game let the fans and league know that he's back on the map. The Lakers sure hope that continues.

2. LeBron James

While his co-star took over in the second half of this game, LeBron James was the huge reason why the Lakers were able to keep their lead in the first half of the game. James was able to get to the cup easily at times throughout the win, gliding past defenders for buckets.

Seeing LeBron perform at this level at 38 years old remains quite amazing. He won't play forever, but the level he's playing at currently, in the In-Season Tournament particularly, should not be taken for granted as one of the all-time greats is still going. He ended the win with 24 points on 47 percent shooting while adding 11 rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

1. Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis was the best player on the floor to end the In-Season Tournament -- and it may not have been close. AD finished the night with 41 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and four blocks. He showed up hugely for the Lakers, even if this only amounts to a slighly elevated regular-season contest. Sometimes dogged for not showing up in consequential games, Davis dispelled that myth on Saturday night.

It's difficult to say whether the big man was better on the offensive or defensive end of the floor against the Pacers simply because he was so dominant on both ends. If this is the player the Lakers get in important regular season matchups and, more importantly, the playoffs, LA might have a good shot at winning another championship -- the one at the end of the year, not just the In-Season Tournament title.