WATCH: Best bits from LeBron James and Tyrese Haliburton mic'd up ahead of IST Final
The crowning of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament (IST) champions is scheduled for tonight. Meanwhile, the NBA has equipped LeBron James and Tyrese Haliburton with microphones to capture some of the moments leading up to the much-anticipated encounter.
The LA Lakers and the Indiana Pacers are facing off in the IST finals after both teams swept their respective brackets. Each player on the winning team will reportedly have the opportunity to win $500,000, and the victorious team will be awarded a new trophy named the NBA Cup.
Additionally, individual accolades include an IST MVP and an all-tournament team. Players on the losing team will not go home empty-handed, as they will take home $200,000 each.
A video shared on the official NBA account on X (formerly Twitter) captured the moments when LeBron James and Tyrese Haliburton pumped up their respective teams ahead of the IST finals.
In a huddle with the Pacers, Haliburton encouraged his teammates to play together.
"Stay together For 48 minutes, we belong here!” Haliburton was captured as saying.
On his end, James instructed the Lakers to dominate:
“Dominate! One, two three!” he said.
The video also featured footage of James taking warm-up jumpers, showcasing his pre-game routine. Haliburton was also captured communicating with his teammates, facilitating the Pacers offense.
For tonight's NBA IST finals, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Lakers are favored with odds of -178, while the Pacers are considered underdogs with +150 odds.
Results of LeBron James and Tyrese Haliburton’s head-to-head matchups
LeBron James and Tyrese Haliburton were once Pacific Division opponents when Haliburton played for the Sacramento Kings. They have previously faced each other six times before tonight's game.
Haliburton has been victorious in four of these six encounters. His first win against LeBron came when he was a rookie for the Kings, where he recorded a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double. In his last two matchups against LeBron, both of which have come as a Pacers player, Haliburton secured 20-point, 10-rebound double-doubles (24 points and 10 assists in a win on Nov. 28, 2023, and 26 points and 12 assists in a loss on Feb. 2, 2023).
Meanwhile, James' first victory against Haliburton was on Jan. 4, 2022, when he scored 31 points with five rebounds and five assists against the Kings. The second win occurred on Feb. 2, 2023, with James contributing 26 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists after Haliburton's move to the Eastern Conference.
So far this season, the Lakers (14-9) and the Pacers (12-8) are No. 5 in their respective conferences.