LeBron James and Lakers find their next level in series-clinching triumph
The Lakers could feel their place in the Western Conference finals, their turnaround season ready to continue.
But first, it was going to be the hardest 24 minutes of their season, the second half of Game 6, against the defending NBA champions who were ready to fight for their postseason lives.
The Lakers had just capped the first half in Los Angeles 10 points better than the Warriors thanks to Austin Reaves’ half-court shot that swished through the net at the buzzer.
Lakers eliminate Warriors in six games
Next stop: Denver.
The Lakers eliminated the defending champion Golden State Warriors with a 122-101 Game 6 victory at Crypto.com Arena on Friday, advancing to face the No. 1-seeded Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals. Closing out the series on Friday afforded the Lakers extra rest before the conference finals begin Tuesday.
It wasn’t quite the 40-point thrashing that the Lakers used to knock out the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round, but Friday’s victory was comprehensive with five Lakers scoring in double digits.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 30 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Anthony Davis didn’t show any signs of the apparent head injury that knocked him out of Game 5 and delivered 17 points and 20 rebounds.
Austin Reaves had 23 points, including 10 in the second quarter that helped the Lakers stave off an early Warriors comeback attempt. The Lakers jumped out to a 17-point lead early, but the Warriors cut it to four. Reaves knocked down a half-court buzzer-beater to increase the lead to 10 at halftime, bringing the packed crowd at Crypto.com Arena to its feet.
Stephen Curry’s 32 points, six rebounds and five assists weren’t enough to save the Warriors’ season as he was the only Golden State starter to score in double figures. Donte DiVincenzo had 16 points off the bench.
Klay Thompson struggled from the field for the third consecutive game, finishing with eight points on three-of-19 shooting from the field. The Warriors shot 13 of 48 from three-point range for the game.
The Warriors lost to a Western Conference opponent in the playoffs for the first time since 2014. They had won 19 consecutive playoff series in the West.
Lakers closing in on trip to Western Conference finals
Austin Reaves pumped his fist subtly as Anthony Davis went to the free-throw line with 3:50 remaining.
The Lakers can feel it too.
The Lakers lead 115-94 late in the fourth quarter of Game 6. The Warriors called a timeout after Davis made both free throws and LeBron James walked to the bench with a quiet fist pump as well.
After the timeout, the Lakers emptied their bench with Troy Brown Jr., Shaq Harrison, Malik Beasley and Tristan Thompson entering the game.
Lakers cruising in fourth quarter
It’s all cosmetic now as the Lakers lead 110-88 with 5:28 remaining in the fourth quarter.
LeBron James has 30 points and Austin Reaves has 20 while Anthony Davis is showing his dominance on the boards with 20 rebounds and 15 points.
LeBron James leading Lakers to Game 6 win
My colleague Dan Woike looked up this stat at just the right time. He wrote after Game 5 that LeBron James hasn’t scored 30 or more points in a playoff game since Game 5 of the 2020 NBA Finals.
That streak ends tonight.
James has 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists as the Lakers are cruising into the Western Conference finals. They lead the Warriors 106-85 with 6:39 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Two fans sitting in the row in front of me are shouting: “You love to see it! You love to see it, man!” I’m censoring the rest of what they’re saying.
Lakers closing in on Game 6 win
The Lakers fans in Crypto.com Arena can feel it now.
The Lakers lead 99-80 with 9:25 remaining in the fourth quarter.
LeBron James had fans holding their breath as he remained on the court for an extended period of time after he was hit in the face by Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins while scoring on a layup.
Teammates and team medical personnel surrounded James on the court as he rolled from his back to his stomach and slowly peeled himself off the court. James casually knocked down the free throw after a timeout.
Lakers enter fourth quarter with 14-point lead
Jordan Poole’s reverse layup at the end of the third quarter quieted the Lakers fans briefly, but with a 91-77 lead going into the final quarter of Game 6, the home crowd has plenty to cheer about.
The Lakers avoided the patented Warriors third-quarter comeback and extended their 10-point halftime lead by four.
LeBron James has 25 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and just two turnovers. Anthony Davis has 15 points and 17 rebounds.
Austin Reaves has 18 points, D’Angelo Russell has 15 and Lonnie Walker IV has 13.
While the Lakers are showing off their scoring depth, the Warriors have just two double-digit scorers. Stephen Curry is trying to carry the team with 26 points, six rebounds and five assists. Donte DiVincenzo has 13 points.
Lakers’ lead swells to 18 in third quarter
The Lakers lead 85-67 with 2:22 remaining in the third quarter.
LeBron James has the last four Lakers points as they and the Warriors traded baskets. James has 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Lonnie Walker IV scored five straight points after the Warriors’ timeout. The Game 4 hero has 10 points in 11 minutes off the bench.
Lakers call timeout with 13-point lead in third quarter
The Lakers are still comfortably ahead, but called a timeout after the Warriors scored five straight points.
The Lakers lead 76-73 with 5:01 remaining in the third quarter.
Stephen Curry forced the Lakers’ timeout with a floater in the lane. He has a game-high 22 points.
Dennis Schroder ejected after getting second technical foul
The Lakers have a comfortable 76-58 lead with 6:20 remaining in the third quarter, but Dennis Schroder was ejected after picking up his second technical foul.
After Anthony Davis stole the ball on an inbounds pass and was fouled by Draymond Green, Green pushed the ball into Schroder’s face and both players were given technicals. Schroder was ejected because he picked up one in the first half as well.
Lakers extend lead early in third quarter
The Lakers have matched their largest lead of the game, going ahead by 17 points, 70-53, with 8:11 remaining in the third quarter.
The Warriors are missing some easy shots, including a point-blank layup by Stephen Curry with 8:39 left in the third. When the ball dribbled off the side of the rim, Anthony Davis collected the rebound and LeBron James converted on the other end.
James has 21 points, five rebounds and four assists. Davis has 11 points and 15 rebounds. Austin Reaves has 16 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Donte DiVincenzo picked up his fourth foul with 9:28 remaining in the third. He is the second Warriors player with four fouls. Dennis Schroder has four for the Lakers.
Can the Lakers hold on in the second half?
And we’re back, friends.
The Lakers are up 56-46 going into the third quarter and are one half away from advancing to the Western Conference finals.
Austin Reaves scored 10 of his 13 points in the second quarter, including a half-court heave at the buzzer.
A buzzer-beater right before halftime of Game 5 propelled the Warriors to a win in Game 5 on Wednesday. Will the Lakers turn the tables to seal this series tonight?
Austin Reaves. That’s the headline as Lakers lead at halftime
Yup, Austin Reaves did that.
The Lakers guard sank a half-court heave just before the halftime buzzer to send the Lakers into the locker room with a 56-46 lead.
It looked like the Warriors would have the last possession of the first half, but Klay Thompson shot an airball and Donte DiVincenzo’s floater off the offensive rebound was blocked by Anthony Davis.
The loose ball found its way to Reaves, who glanced at the clock as he dribbled up court and flung the ball toward the rim. When it fell through the net, Reaves screamed and high-fived several fans sitting courtside.
LeBron James leads the Lakers with 15 points and Reaves has 13. Davis was scoreless in the second quarter and has nine points and 12 rebounds.
Jordan Poole was whistled for his fourth personal foul at the 3:30 mark of the second quarter. Foul calls have been a topic of discussion from both teams during this series and Warriors coach Steve Kerr did not agree with the offensive foul that forced Poole to the bench.
Stephen Curry has 12 points and DiVincenzo has 10 for the Warriors. Kevon Looney has 11 rebounds, including five on the offensive end.
Lakers flex their depth during second quarter
The Lakers are showing their depth with five players scoring five or more points in extending their lead to 47-37 with 5:20 remaining.
LeBron James pushed the Lakers’ lead back to 10 by making a three-pointer with 6:02 left. James leads the Lakers with 13 points. Austin Reaves has five of his eight points in the last two minutes, including an and-one against Stephen Curry.
DiVincenzo picked up his third foul with 7:30 remaining in the second quarter and headed directly to the bench. With 10 points, he is the Warriors’ second-leading scorer in the game after Curry’s 12.
Game 6 Klay Thompson is an NBA Twitter legend, but he hasn’t shown up tonight just yet. The Southern California native has had a tough series of late, shooting worse than 30% in the previous two games. He has five points on two-of-11 shooting. He’s one of six from three-point range.
Donte DiVincenzo sparks Warriors off bench
A layup from Donte DiVincenzo that cut the Lakers’ lead to four forced the home team to take a timeout with 8:27 remaining in the second quarter.
The Lakers lead 37-33.
DiVincenzo has 10 points off the bench.
Jarred Vanderbilt got his first points since Game 4 with a steal and a dunk off a lazy Warriors pass.
The Warriors are shooting just 30.8% from the field, but have 10 offensive rebound on 27 missed shots. Kevon Looney and Draymond Green have four and three offensive rebounds, respectively.
Warriors surge to end first quarter
OK, here come the defending champs.
The Warriors finished the first quarter on a 16-4 run and the Lakers’ lead is down to five, 31-26, entering the second quarter.
The Warriors started one-for-11 shooting from three-point range, but started hitting shots late with threes from Donte DiVincenzo and Stephen Curry.
Curry scored the final eight points of the quarter and has 12.
Anthony Davis flirted with a double-double in the first quarter with nine points and 10 rebounds. When he went to the bench late in the quarter, the Warriors scored seven unanswered points.
Lakers dominating first quarter, lead by 17 points
The Lakers are attacking from all angles as all five of their starters have scored with a 27-10 lead. There’s 4:40 remaining in the first quarter.
A corner three from Austin Reaves forced the Warriors to take another timeout. LeBron James has nine points, including a dramatic three-pointer after slowly making his way up the court. He was knocked to the court on a Warriors possession and stayed down for several seconds while his teammates ran up the court, but once he gathered himself, he casually jogged up the court and hit an open three-pointer from the top of the key.
Hoping to control the free-throw line again, the Lakers forced the Warriors into the penalty at the 6:28 mark of the first quarter. The Lakers have taken eight free throws, making six, compared to the Warriors’ one, which came on a technical foul by Dennis Schroder.
Gary Payton II has two fouls already.
The Lakers are nine-for-12 shooting from the field and three for three from three-point range.
Lakers come out firing for early lead
Leading 18-7 with 7:39 remaining in the first quarter, the Lakers are playing with the pace and force of a team with a lot to lose tonight. While they have the lead in the series, the Lakers desperately want to avoid a Game 7 at Golden State on Sunday.
After scoring the Lakers’ first four points of the game, LeBron James has a team-high six points. D’Angelo Russell has five points and Anthony Davis, showing no signs of the head injury that knocked him out in the fourth quarter of Game 5, has four points and three rebounds.
Gary Payton II leads the Warriors with four points.
Can the Lakers eliminate the Warriors in Game 6?
Hello, this is Thuc Nhi Nguyen. I’ll be piloting our Game 6 live blog from the rafters of Crypto.com Arena. My colleagues Dan Woike, Brad Turner, Bill Plaschke and Helene Elliott are holding it down courtside.
With a 3-2 advantage in the best-of-seven series, the Lakers get a second chance to close out the defending champions and should be happy to be home. The Lakers are undefeated at Crypto.com Arena during the postseason and have won seven consecutive games here.
Both teams are at full strength after pregame injury concerns. Lakers star Anthony Davis is in the starting lineup after missing half of the fourth quarter on Wednesday with an apparent head injury. Andrew Wiggins, who suffered a left costal cartilage fracture in his ribs during that game, is also slated to start.
With all that housekeeping out of the way, as Warriors coach Steve Kerr said at the end of his pregame chat with reporters, “Let’s let it rip and have some fun.”
Dennis Schroder moves into starting lineup for Game 6
Looking to punch their ticket to the Western Conference finals, the Lakers moved guard Dennis Schroder into the starting lineup in place of forward Jarred Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt has been a key defensive cog for the Lakers, but almost non-existent on offense. He has not scored in double-figures during the Western Conference semifinals. He was scoreless in Game 5, missing both of his shot attempts from the field in 11 minutes.
“He thrives when he gets it in the flow, he’s a high-energy player,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said before the game of Vanderbilt’s offensive role. “It’s changed a little bit because at the outset of the series, he had a huge, huge task trying to guard Steph [Curry] and slow Steph down a little bit. So I think the best thing for Vando is to attack the game with his energy, running in transition, offensive rebounds, screening and rolling and he’ll find himself into a good rhythm.”
The Warriors are sticking with their Game 5 starters: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II.
Anthony Davis ‘should be available’ for Game 6
After leaving Game 5 with an apparent head injury during the fourth quarter, Lakers star Anthony Davis is “progressing fine” and “he should be available” for Game 6, Lakers coach Darvin Ham said during his pregame talk with reporters.
Davis was listed as probable on the injury report with a right foot stress injury.
On the Warriors’ side, Andrew Wiggins, who suffered a rib injury during the fourth quarter of Game 5, will warm up and “hopefully he’ll play,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. Wiggins suffered the injury when he got tied up with LeBron James fighting for a rebound, Kerr said.
‘We have another opportunity’: Lakers turn focus on eliminating Warriors
Inside a mostly quiet Lakers locker room late Wednesday night, the biggest concern was about the status of Anthony Davis and his availability for their close-out Game 6 on Friday against the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena.
Davis had departed the game with 7 minutes and 34 seconds left at Chase Center. He had been hit on the side of his head by an inadvertent elbow from Warriors forward Kevon Looney as they battled for rebounding position while D’Angelo Russell scored on a layup . Davis fell to the court holding his head. He got up and took a seat on the Lakers’ bench, but eventually went to the locker room and never returned.
The Lakers were down 14 at that moment and went on to lose 121-106, but they still own a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series and can knock the defending NBA champion Warriors out of the playoffs with a victory Friday night at home.
That will be the Lakers’ main focus — with or without Davis.
“That we have another opportunity,” LeBron James said about the approach the Lakers will have to take. “Obviously, they played exceptionally well here tonight, and we had some good moments, but not as close to 48 minutes as we needed to be, but we’ve got another opportunity on Friday, and we look forward to the matchup again.”
Can Anthony Davis play in Game 6 after head injury? Here’s how NBA’s concussion policy works
The wobbly walk. The dazed look. Hands grasping head.
Anthony Davis’ behavior after sustaining an elbow to the head Wednesday night was a scary sight.
TNT’s Chris Haynes reported after Golden State’s 121- 106 win over the Lakers that Davis “appears to have avoided a concussion.” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said Thursday that Davis isn’t showing signs of a concussion and the Lakers listed Davis as probable for Game 6 on Friday night.
That is great news for the Lakers. A look at the NBA’s concussion policy could shed some light on what might be happening behind the scenes.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham says Anthony Davis is ‘feeling great’ before Game 6
Darvin Ham said star big man Anthony Davis wasn’t exhibiting any signs of a concussion following a blow to the head in the fourth quarter of Game 5.
Davis, Ham said, would be listed as “probable” for a potential series-clinching game with the Golden State Warriors on Friday at Crypto.com Arena.
“He’s doing good. We checked in with him and he’s feeling great. Our medical staff gave us a great update,” said Ham, who met with reporters via teleconference. “… He’s the centerpiece of what we’re trying to do on both sides of the ball and for us just in general for our success rate. So, that was great, great news.”
Davis left Wednesday’s game late after being struck in the side of the head by an elbow from Kevon Looney. The Lakers lost Game 5 121-106.