The Lakers Beat The Grizzlies In Game 6 To Advance To The Next Round

(CTN News) – At Crypto.com Arena, the Lakers dispatched the Memphis Grizzlies swiftly and confidently in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series. After a few minutes of close play, the Lakers rocketed to the next round.

Not the least of which was how dominantly the Lakers overpowered their talented but ultimately overmatched opponent in their 125-85 victory and 4-2 series victory. A seventh seed, the Lakers were paired with a second seed, the Grizzlies.

In the second round, Lakers will play Golden State Warriors or Sacramento Kings. A 118-99 Kings win in Game 6 in San Francisco forced a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday.

After Friday’s game, when the cheers faded from the crowd of 18,997, which included Jack Nicholson for the first time since opening night 2021-22, LeBron James delivered a message to his teammates about completing one step and taking the next against either Golden State or Sacramento.

As James explained to reporters later, his team is young and does not have much postseason experience. The only thing I did was explain what I’ve been through and what they can expect.

When you move up a level, it gets even harder as the series gets harder. After conquering level one, we will move on to level two. Getting harder and harder.

They understood that and will be prepared for it.”

During the series, James and Anthony Davis presented problems the Grizzlies couldn’t solve, and their championship pedigree shouldn’t be overlooked in a playoff game so important. Talented but inexperienced (and missing two key frontcourt players for the entire series), the Grizzlies were unprepared.

D’Angelo Russell set a playoff career high with 31 points on 12-for-17 shooting (5 for 9 from 3-point range) and James scored 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting.

Davis added 16 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots, and James finished with 22 points. By the end of the third quarter, the Lakers led 100-67. James and Davis sat out the entire fourth quarter.

In playoff series with the Lakers,

James and Davis are 5-0 when both are healthy enough to participate. In a stretch run that ended with a 10-2 record, particularly in Game 6, Russell’s addition paid dividends after a trade deadline deal.

On Friday, the Lakers’ best players played at their best.

As an NBA head coach, Darvin Ham credits his first playoff series victory to coming with energy, effort, and urgency. Every possession, we stayed on our toes. We were great in transition and pick-and-roll.”

Grizzlies reserve Santi Aldama scored 16 points, and Desmond Bane added 15 points. Ja Morant was held to only 10 points on 3-for-16 shooting by Jarred Vanderbilt and the Lakers. In the fourth quarter, Bane and Morant played only 2:18.

Following a 20-point first-half deficit, Memphis was never in the game.

The Lakers did a phenomenal job, and shout out to Darvin Ham and that staff,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. The team has done an outstanding job throughout the season.

On defense, they had a great game plan, and on offense, they had a great game. From game to game, his chess matches have been phenomenal.”

The Lakers won their first series on their home court since they defeated the Denver Nuggets in seven games in 2012. Only family members attended the 2020 NBA championship as they beat the Miami Heat in Orlando, Fla., winning their 17th title.

In the first quarter, Russell led the Lakers to a 25-16 lead by scoring 10 of their first 25 points, making five of his first seven shots, and forcing Memphis to call timeout with 2:45 left. It was then that the Lakers took control of the game.

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