LeBron James and Lakers knock out champion Warriors with 122-101 win in Game 6

By Peter Michel On May 13, 2023

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Six months and a day after the Los Angeles Lakers fell to 2-10 to start the regular season, they emphatically eliminated the defending NBA champions to reach the Western Conference Finals.

Although the Lakers’ transformation has become more and more incredible over the past few weeks, the main strengths are LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who won a ring together just three years ago – and who shared a happy hug Friday night after leading their team to their biggest home victory in over a decade.

James had 30 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, and the Lakers ended the Golden State Warriors’ reign with a 122-101 win in Game 6 of the second-round series.

Davis had 17 points and 20 rebounds for the Lakers, who never trailed in their third home win over Golden State in seven days. Austin Reaves scored 23 points – highlighted by a 54-foot midfielder at the halftime buzzer – along with six assists and five rebounds as Los Angeles swung inexorably away, resisting all of Stephen’s attempts Curry to bring the Warriors back.

“It’s special to get this win to beat a team that is so established and so good,” Reaves said. “I think ranking things are just numbers. When you have guys like Bron and AD winning championships, you always feel like you have a chance, especially with the roster that we have, the talent that we have.

The seventh-seeded Lakers will face Nikola Jokic and the top-seeded Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals starting Tuesday night in Denver.

The Lakers have improved to 7-0 at home since the end of the regular season. They also ended Golden State’s 28-game playoff streak with at least one road win — an NBA record spanning Curry’s entire career.

“It was a tough year, to say the least, but we kept fighting,” said first-year head coach Darvin Ham. “Our vibes stayed positive, and eventually our new pieces came together. I’m so excited to be able to sit in this seat and enjoy the ride.

James, Davis and the Lakers are the first team since 2014 to knock the Curry’s Warriors out of the playoffs before the NBA Finals. Golden State has made six of the last eight NBA Finals, missing the playoffs entirely in the other two seasons.

“The better team won, and I can’t blame our players for the effort,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “Because these guys are such competitors, it’s going to hurt. But that’s why we play: to compete with the best and see what we have. I didn’t have enough, but it wasn’t for lack of heart or effort.

Curry scored 32 points while missing 10 of 14 3-point attempts for the sixth-seeded Warriors, whose pursuit of their fifth championship in nine seasons ended in three straight road losses and an offensive performance inept from Curry’s teammates in Game 6, including a 3-of-19 effort from Klay Thompson, who missed 10 of 12 3-point attempts.

The Splash Brothers were way too dry against the Lakers: Thompson was 10 for 36 on 3-pointers in the last four games of the series, while Curry was 14 for 49.

Donte DiVincenzo had a playoff-high 16 points for the Warriors, but Curry was their only double-digit starter, with the other four shooting 11-for-38.

“Certainly disappointing,” said Draymond Green. “It’s been a long time since we finished May, just trying to process the feelings. In the end, they were the better team.

The Lakers immediately took charge in the first quarter, survived the Warriors’ few rallies and opened it up in the fourth quarter with a balanced effort led by James, 38, who produced his first 30-point playoff game since the 2020 NBA Finals. The 20-year veteran can still assert his will with as much force as almost any elite player, and he led the Lakers’ offensive effort while Davis played another outstanding defensive game.

D’Angelo Russell scored 19 points as the Lakers deftly survived the third-quarter ejection of Dennis Schröder, Curry’s spark guard and main defenseman. Schröder was thrown out after receiving his second technical foul of the night following a trade with Green, but his absence didn’t seem to help much for the Warriors, who couldn’t make their open shots far too often.

The Lakers haven’t lost consecutive games since March 17, and they’ve only lost once at home since March 26. On a 27-12 run since bolstering their cast around James and Davis at the trade deadline, Los Angeles heads to the conference finals for the second time in the superstars’ four-year partnership.

Davis said he attributes the Lakers’ late-season turnover to “unity.” We want to shock the world.

After knocking out the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in six games in the first round, the Lakers followed the exact win-loss pattern of this series against the champions: steal Game 1 on the road, then calmly capitalize on their home field advantage to seal the victory. series with three straight wins in front of their frenzied, celebrity-studded crowds.

Schröder had five assists and defended hard in his first playoff start for the Lakers, but the German playmaker was sent off on a curious call after Green shoved the ball into Schröder’s face.

ADVICE

Warriors: Golden State has gone a dismal 13-35 on the road this year, including the playoffs. … Curry moved up to 11th on the NBA career playoff scorers list, passing Dwyane Wade. … Andrew Wiggins scored six points while playing with fractured rib cartilage, reportedly the result of a fight with James in the fourth quarter of Game 5.

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