LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates a three point basket against the Golden State Warriors at the end of the second quarter by Austin Reaves #15 in game six of the Western Conference Semifinal Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 12, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Harry How/Getty Images/AFP
LeBron James scored 30 points and Anthony Davis added 17 points and 20 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers’ dynamic duo returned the franchise to the Western Conference finals for the second time since 2020 with a 122-101 victory over the visiting Golden State Warriors on Friday.
Austin Reaves scored 23 points and D’Angelo Russell had 19 as the Lakers won the conference semifinals in six games and eliminated the defending NBA champions by improving to 6-0 at home in the playoffs. Davis played despite a head injury that occurred in the fourth quarter of Game 5.
“Not many (players) on our team have been in a close-out game,” LeBron said from the court on the ESPN broadcast. “After Game 5, I knew we had to come in with a lot of aggression but be very efficient on how I play this game. It was big-time.”
LeBron showed OUT in Game 6 🔥
30 PTS
9 REB
9 ASTLakers advance to the Western Conference Finals 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/oP9y2tZtN4
— NBA (@NBA) May 13, 2023
The Lakers move on to face the Denver Nuggets on the road in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday.
“It’s going to be a great series,” LeBron said. “They’ve been the number one seed in the West all season long. We give them a lot of respect.”
Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates after making a half court basket against the Golden State Warriors at the end of the second quarter in game six of the Western Conference Semifinal Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 12, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Harry How/Getty Images/AFP
Stephen Curry scored 32 points and Donte DiVincenzo added 16 off the bench as the Warriors lost to a Western Conference team in the playoffs for the first time since Steve Kerr became head coach in the 2014-15 season.
Golden State guard Klay Thompson struggled for the fourth consecutive game, going 2 of 12 from 3-point range, 3 of 19 overall and finishing with eight points. The Warriors were 13 of 48 (27.1 percent) from 3-point range.
“(We) just tried to make it tough on them,” Davis said of the Lakers’ defensive strategy against the prolific Warriors offense. “They’re the defending champion, they’re not going to go away. Their ability to score the ball, shoot the ball is unreal, unmatched.
“We just wanted to keep the pressure up, the intensity up, and be the hardest-playing team for 48 minutes.”
The run continues.
WCF 🔜#NBAPlayoffs presented by @GooglePixel_US pic.twitter.com/wusrwPnmvr
— NBA (@NBA) May 13, 2023
Draymond Green scored nine points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Warriors. Green was slowed by a calf injury in the fourth quarter, while Andrew Wiggins played with a rib cartilage fracture and scored just six points.
“I want to say how proud I am of our guys,” said Kerr, whose team won just 11 regular-season road games and went 2-5 on the road in the playoffs.
“It’s been a long and difficult season in many ways, but our guys hung in there. To be here, to have a chance in the conference semis when for much of the season we were kind of adrift, it shows the character of our group and how they stuck together.”
Austin Reaves in Game 6:
23 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST, 4/5 3PM 🥶
Lakers advance to the WCF ‼️#NBAPlayoffs presented by @GooglePixel_US pic.twitter.com/6pgdhM1qpo
— NBA (@NBA) May 13, 2023
The Lakers came out with early energy, leading by 17 points just over seven minutes into the game.
The Lakers finished the first half on a dynamic sequence. Davis blocked a shot inside by DiVincenzo, James tapped the ball down court and Reaves drilled a half-court shot at the buzzer for a 56-46 lead at the break.
AD dropped 17 PTS and 20 REB as the Lakers won Game 6 to advance to the WCF 💪#NBAPlayoffs presented by @GooglePixel_US pic.twitter.com/sfUaaVj1vk
— NBA (@NBA) May 13, 2023
Amid his first start of the playoffs, the Lakers’ Dennis Schroder was ejected with 6:20 remaining in the third quarter after receiving his second technical foul.
Schroder’s replacement, Lonnie Walker IV, scored five quick points and Los Angeles went into the final period with a 91-77 lead.
The Lakers pushed their advantage to 106-82 with 7:17 remaining. With reports from Agence France-Presse