The Los Angeles Lakers' thrashing of Memphis improved steadily this time, going from an 11-point lead at the end of the first quarter to a 17-point lead at halftime to 33 points at the end of the third.
The availability of Anthony Davis is available for Los Angeles Lakers going into Game 6 against the Grizzlies. The Lakers were a complete team on Friday as they eliminated the Memphis Grizzlies in their first-round series with a 125-85 victory in Game 6. They had been a disjointed team for much of the regular season. They will go on to take on the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. The Lakers’ thrashing of Memphis improved steadily this time, going from an 11-point lead at the end of the first quarter to a 17-point lead at halftime to 33 points at the end of the third.
This contrasts with their comically dominant first-quarter performance in Game 3. With nine minutes remaining in the fourth, the benchwarmers entered the game. The Los Angeles Lakers’ thrashing of Memphis improved steadily this time, going from an 11-point lead at the end of the first quarter to a 17-point lead at halftime to 33 points at the end of the third. This contrasts with their comically dominant first-quarter performance in Game 3. With nine minutes remaining in the fourth, the benchwarmers entered the game.
On offence, the Grizzlies once more appeared lost, but a large part of that was due to Davis. With five blocks and commanding an interior defence that limited the Memphis starters to 25.7% shooting on 2-pointers, the Lakers big man had his best defensive game of the series.
Davis was excellent, notching 16 points and 14 rebounds. James, who finished with 22 points, six assists, and five rebounds, was effective in all of his usual areas. But the supporting cast that the Lakers bolstered at the trade deadline turned the game into a lopsided rout. The Los Angeles Lakers, who went 17-9 after the trade deadline, have drawn a lot of attention for how different they’ve appeared since trading Russell Westbrook for role players. This difference was once again evident on Friday, primarily thanks to D’Angelo Russell’s 31 points on 12-of-17 shooting. The Lakers now have two healthy stars and a strong supporting cast, something they haven’t had since winning the NBA title in 2020. The West shouldn’t be happy to hear that.
The team that roared so loudly even in defeat to the Warriors in the previous postseason and entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the West appeared worn out and subdued. They were without the perennially underrated Steven Adams, but they did have Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. (14 points on 3-of-12 shooting) and Ja Morant (10 points on 3-of-16 shooting), as well as the unfortunate cohesion of a lottery team. With Adams and Brandon Clarke’s season-ending injuries and Morant’s alleged off-court transgressions, it was a difficult season, but the way it ended is a “look in the mirror” moment. Furthermore, Dillon Brooks scored 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting, in case you were interested. After the game, he didn’t have much to say about it.
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