The Lakers dominated Friday’s duel, controlling each quarter and continuing their progress from the preliminary round. The seventh-seeded team was led by D’Angelo Russell, the author of 31 points. James added 22 points and celebrated his 40th career winning streak in the playoffs. He caught up with NBA record holder and five-time champion Derek Fisher. Anthony Davis had 16 points and 14 rebounds.
“We went into it like it was Game 7. We felt an opportunity in front of the home fans and we wanted to close it out today. We played with discipline, we stuck to our plan from the start to the last seconds,” James said. His team won a playoff series for the first time since winning the title in 2020.
The Lakers will have to wait for their quarterfinal opponent, as the Golden State champions did not take advantage of their home environment. Stephen Curry’s 29 points weren’t enough for them. For the Kings, who are making the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and are the third seed in the Western Conference, Malik Monk scored one less, point guard De’Aaron Fox flashed 26 points and 11 assists, and Keegan Murray added 15 points and 12 rebounds.
| 1. kolo play off NBA |
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| Western Conference – 6. matches |
| Los Angeles Lakers – Memphis 125:85, the final state of the series 4:2 |
| Golden State – Sacramento 99:118, stav series 3:3 |
