Stellar performance by LeBron James and his team, who are already waiting for the winner of the series between Sacramento and Golden State
Los Angeles Lakers They tore apart this Friday the Memphis Grizzlies (125-85), they qualified for the Western semifinals (4-2) and, after a start to the season that pointed to a resounding failure, they are now a reborn and fiercely competitive team that has earned the right to dream in the playoff. For their part, the Sacramento Kings achieved a great victory on the track of the Golden State Warriors (99-118) to force a seventh and final game.
Hardly anyone in Los Angeles imagined that the Los Angeles Lakers LeBron Jameswho started the year with a ridiculous 2-10, will be alive at the end of April, with the wind in their favor and waiting for a rival in the Western semifinals, which will come from the seventh meeting between the Kings and the Warriors.
The very meritorious resurrection of these Lakers was given thanks to several ingredients. Thus, the departure of the controversial Russell Westbrookthe signings of key pieces (D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt…) and the step forward of Austin Reaves They were fundamental in providing support to a LeBron and an Anthony Davis who had finally recovered from their physical problems.
With an 18-8 record since the closing of the transfer market and ‘play-in’ through, the Lakers (seventh in the West) were played in the first round by the Grizzlies of I Morant (seconds).
But those in purple and gold silenced the brashness, anger and youth of Memphis throughout the entire series and especially this Friday with a magical night in which they were a steamroller from beginning to end.
D’Angelo Russell (31 points with an overwhelming 12 of 17 on shots and 5 and 9 on triples), Davis (16 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks) and LeBron (22 points on 9-of-13 shots) led a Lakers who were already up by 36 points in the third quarter. The locals dazzled with 53.8% shooting and their impressive defense broke the visiting offense (30.2%).
Almost no one was saved in these disappointing and overmatched Grizzlies: Morant crashed with 10 points (3 of 16 shooting), Desmond Bane I only scored 15 goals (5 of 16), Years Jackson Jr. stayed at 14 (3 of 12) and the controversial Dillon Brooks I only contributed 10 (4 of 11).
the spanish Santi Aldama He was unworthy of Memphis and finished as the top scorer for his team with 16 points and 5 rebounds.
Celebrities such as Adele attended this evening with capital letters in the Hollywood mecca, but above all two spectators stood out: Jack Nicholson, eternal fan of the Lakers and who had not been to the stadium since October 2021; and a Kyrie Irving that further encouraged the rumors about a hypothetical arrival in this franchise.
Sacramento suea
With everything against them and in a duel with no margin for error, the Sacramento Kings achieved a huge victory on Friday against the Golden State Warriors (99-118) to force a seventh and final game to be played on Sunday in Sacramento ( 3-3 in the series).
Pese a lose court factor On Wednesday, these amazing young Kings jumped into this sixth matchup in San Francisco without complexes and they defeated the current NBA champions with admirable solvency, who will have to win again at home to avoid being eliminated in the first round of the West.
Malik Monkwith 28 points and 6 rebounds coming off the bench, and De’Aaron Foxwith 26 points and 11 assists despite still playing with a fractured finger, commanded the triumph of some Kings in which they Domantas Sabonis He had many problems with fouls and ended up being sent off (7 points and 11 rebounds in 23 minutes).
Stephen Curry (29 points) and Klay Thompson (22 points) they were left very alone in some Warriors who only made 10 of 32 in triples and who had a poor performance from their squires (Jordan Poole finished with 7 points and a terrible 2 of 11 shooting).
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2023-04-29 06:20:18
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