LAS VEGAS – It won’t count in the standings. The stats won’t impact individual or team totals. But the game between the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena (8:30 ET, ABC) is unique in NBA history in deciding the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.

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Key storylines

• Underdogs vs. favorites. This new-fangled tournament has been a launching pad for the Pacers and their remarkable young point guard Tyrese Haliburton. The Lakers have been one of the league’s most successful franchises (17 NBA titles) and have its most decorated active player in LeBron James. The stage is set for an upset or another coronation.
• Contrast in styles. Indiana likes to run, pushing the pace and scoring in bunches. It ranks first in pace, in points per 100 possessions (123.5) and first in fast-break points (17.2). Los Angeles prefers to impose its will on games by playing through LeBron James and adhering to a more traditional attack. The Lakers rank seventh in defensive rating (110.3 points allowed per 100) but 25th in allowing 15.0 fast-break points.
• Battle of the benches. The Pacers’ bench is essential to their season so far, contributing 46.5 points per game that ranks second in the NBA. The Lakers are 20th at 31.0. Will either coach go as deep into his rotation in a single-elimination game? So far in tournament games, the teams are getting identical scoring from their benches, 42.5 ppg.

Biggest impact players

Chances are good that one of the teams’ respective stars – either Haliburton or James – will walk off with the first In-Season Tournament Most Valuable Player award.

Tyrese Haliburton: This guy is ready for his network TV close-up, coming off a pair of games in which he totaled 53 points, 28 assists and 0 turnovers. He is able to direct traffic, service his teammates’ games, play fast or slow and step back to get his when other options close down.

LeBron James: The NBA’s all-time points leader isn’t in any hurry to leave the stage. Playing with the exuberance of a player 15 years younger and a body that’s preternaturally durable, James is only a few more Lakers victories from crashing league MVP discussions. His per-36 numbers – 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists – compare favorably to his actual averages (26.9, 7.6, 6.7) during his four years in Miami. Which ended nine years ago.

X-factors to monitor

Every star needs help, and Haliburton and James are no different. Here are teammates from whom key contributions might come:

T.J. McConnell: Indiana has eight players averaging at least 10 points and McConnell (7.4) isn’t one of them. But the veteran backup point guard is pesky, crowds and irritates opponents and will be needed with fellow guard Andrew Nembhard (knee) out.

Anthony Davis: When is it ever not AD with the Lakers? When driven, he looks like the Top 75 player he’s been designated. Other times, not so much. James should have been able to pass the proverbial baton to the younger star by now, but consistency remains a challenge.

What they’re saying

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle: “LeBron James is in his prime still. I’m watching the guy last night, and it’s phenomenal. … Someone just gave me the stat: He’s the only player in NBA history who has been the youngest player in the league and the oldest player in the league.

“That speaks to obviously an amazing run of longevity and, in his case, greatness. He’s the all-time leading scorer, and if there’s a Mount Rushmore, he’s one of the guys on the NBA Mount Rushmore.”

Lakers coach Darvin Ham: “I see a kid [Haliburton] out there, a multifaceted, highly talented player that’s having a great time playing basketball. You see him, he’s always smiling. … He’s always encouraging his teammates. You can tell they have fun playing together. I mean, he does everything.

“He does a little bit of everything. He puts pressure on you from the start of the clock to the end of the clock, a guy that’s able to push the pace, make unbelievable passes and reads, make shots. He can just pretty much do it all.”

Haliburton: “We’re not supposed to be here and nobody expected us to be here. We’ve been probably looked at to lose the majority of our tournament games. The Philly game, we weren’t supposed to win. Boston game we definitely weren’t supposed to win. Milwaukee, we definitely weren’t supposed to win.

“That’s just been part of the storybook of this, and it’s been a lot of fun. But it’s not done yet. We’ve got to be prepared to go tomorrow and approach that game the right way.”

Lakers wing Austin Reaves: “Everything [about James] seems to just be a little different. This is my third year now, and being around him for those three years, this year he seems very much alive, healthy, and his competitiveness and attention to detail is always great.

“But something seems a little different in the way he’s playing. It’s at a super-high level for anybody, any age, but especially for someone that’s played as long as he has.”

Prediction

Lakers. I’ll leave it to my colleagues to scramble for a fresh pick, but based on James’ commitment to the goal, I’m sticking with the team I picked from the start.

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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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