LOS ANGELES – It’s hard for all NBA teams to raise their level of competition regularly, especially during the early part of an 82-game season.
The NBA’s solution was to create an in-season tournament,
adding some financial incentives and a competition that concluded in Las Vegas, crowning an NBA Cup champion. Through three years, it’s delivered on the promise of better early regular-season action.
The Lakers dominated the inaugural tournament in 2023 and the Thunder put the whole league on notice last season. The story of the 2025 NBA Cup is still being told, but one thing is clear: the Lakers will have something to say about how it ends.
On Tuesday, the Lakers beat the Clippers, 135-118, to remain perfect in the NBA Cup and punch their ticket to the quarterfinals.
Small picture, the win gave the Lakers their 13th of the year, their fifth in a row and a fourth consecutive over their rival. Big picture, it gives them an opportunity to simulate playoff intensity, putting them in a win-or-go-home scenario months before it happens in the postseason.
“It just prepares you for those big game moments, so we just got to stay locked in,” Jaxson Hayes said after the win.
The Lakers certainly stayed locked in against the Clippers. While the visitors eventually let go of the rope as the game got out of hand, LA was ahead by just five entering the final period.
They demonstrated they had gears the Clippers don’t have during the last 12 minutes of the game as they went on a 12-4 run to begin the fourth and never looked back.
Luka Dončić was magnificent throughout the contest, scoring in bunches early and distributing the ball well throughout. He ended the game with another 40-piece, placing himself as 10th all-time in 40-point games in franchise history.
Yes, that’s right, in just 41 games, he’s already put himself this high in this category, having yet to fully enter his prime.
His MVP-level play, added with Austin Reaves and LeBron, gives the Lakers a trio everyone should shudder at having to beat in an elimination game.
While we don’t know who their quarterfinal opponent will be, the Lakers have proven they are tough to defeat in NBA Cup action. And as has been true about Lakers teams before, that cash incentive is still an enticing one.
“Didn’t get an opportunity to compete for the Cup last year,” head coach JJ Redick said. “So we’re excited. I mean, $53,000 is a lot of money. It just is. So, I’m sure there’s some extra motivation.”
The NBA Cup, with higher stakes, a championship to win, and financial incentives, provides a scenario where fans can get an appetizer of what’s to come in the playoffs and teams get some measuring-stick games to evaluate where they are.
For a team with championship aspirations, the more competitive games the Lakers can get, the better. LA didn’t bathe itself in glory in the playoffs last season and the NBA Cup not only offers them a small bit of redemption but also a chance for a team that’s still learning how to play together more opportunities to do just that.
“I just think continuing to play home games, regardless if it’s the cup game or not, it’s just going to give us the opportunity to build something special if we continue to do the right things, listen to schemes, game plan, and all that,” Austin Reaves said. “Cup game or not, I feel like every game is an opportunity to continue to get better.”
So far, the Lakers look pretty good, but there is still a lot of work to do to turn good games in November into memorable moments in June.
“Right now we got to continue to build days,” LeBron said. “We don’t want to take any steps backwards. Even if it’s in a loss, we don’t want to take no steps backwards in progress in the process of what we want to accomplish. We’re in a good spot right now.”
Thanks to them taking care of business in NBA Cup group play action, they’ll get a shot at proving to themselves and the rest of the league that they are a force to be reckoned with.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
