The Phoenix Suns were defeated 106-103 by the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, advancing them to the semifinals of the inaugural NBA in-season tournament. 15 of LeBron James’s total 31 points were scored during the fourth quarter.

The top-seeded Lakers, led by Austin Reaves (20 points) and Anthony Davis (27 points, 15 rebounds), will travel to Las Vegas on Thursday to face the New Orleans Pelicans. The Milwaukee Bucks will host the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Thursday as well.

The championship game will take place on Saturday, and the team that emerges victorious will be bestowed with the NBA Cup.

In addition to his masterful marksmanship, James contributed 11 assists, 8 rebounds, and 5 steals to round out the game. In the final minute, the 21-year veteran contributed to two assists on his teammates’ other two baskets and 15 points as Los Angeles surged ahead.

Kevin Durant scored the most points for the Suns with 31, but his three-point attempt at the buzzer was narrowly missed. Phoenix had recorded its third defeat of the season to Los Angeles after having won eight of its previous ten games.

Devin Booker made a layup with 29 seconds remaining to cut the Lakers’ lead to 102-101. However, Reaves buried his third 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining. Davis subsequently missed one of two free throw opportunities that contributed to the opening of the door for Durant’s potential game-tying shot; another layup was successful.

Booker and Grayson Allen both scored 21 points in support of Phoenix.

The Lakers qualified for the Western Conference’s top tier by achieving an undefeated run through the group stage of the tournament, which culminated in a triumph at Phoenix on November 10. After recovering from that setback, the Suns qualified for the quarterfinal round via wild card.While supporters continue to debate its merits, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham and Phoenix head coach Frank Vogel both stated that their teams’ players are embracing the spirit of the in-season tournament, especially with the incentive to earn monetary bonuses for their teams’ support staff and younger players.

“They are quite familiar with that bag,” Ham remarked with a chuckle. “Money speaks, gentleman.”For the Suns, Bradley Beal missed his eleventh consecutive game due to a persistent back injury. The Suns maintained their lead despite committing 22 turnovers and having two healthy superstars struggle with foul trouble. Booker entered into his fifth penalty early in the fourth quarter, while Durant accumulated four infractions as the game approached its conclusion prior to entering into his fifth with 3:18 remaining.

This season, Phoenix committed the most turnovers of any team in the league, including ten in the first quarter. After intermission, the Suns, who had fallen behind by 15 in the first, seized the lead with 14 consecutive points.