The Los Angeles Lakers clinched a 122-101 victory against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, securing their position in the Western Conference finals. LeBron James led the Lakers with 30 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, while Anthony Davis had 17 points and 20 rebounds. The Lakers never trailed in the game, and their win marked the end of the Warriors' pursuit of their fifth championship in nine seasons. The seventh-seeded Lakers will now face Nikola Jokic and the top-seeded Nuggets in the next round of the playoffs.
Lakes end long-standing GSW record
Austin Reaves also contributed to the Lakers' win with 23 points, including a 54-footer from midcourt at the halftime buzzer. The Lakers have now improved to 7-0 at home since the regular season ended, with three wins in seven days over the Warriors.
Their victory also snapped the Warriors’ streak of 28 playoff series with at least one road victory – an NBA-record run encompassing Stephen Curry’s entire career.
Off day for the downtown shooters
James, Davis and the Lakers are the first team since 2014 to eliminate Curry’s Warriors from the playoffs before the NBA finals. Golden State have played in six of the last eight NBA finals, missing the playoffs in the other two seasons. Curry scored 32 points, but his teammates failed to support him offensively, with Klay Thompson missing 10 of his 12 three-point attempts.
Holding on in clutch moments
The Lakers immediately took charge in the first quarter and survived the Warriors' few rallies before blowing it open in the fourth quarter. The Lakers have lost just once at home since 26 March, and they are headed to the conference finals for the second time in James and Davis' four-year partnership.
Despite the third-quarter ejection of Dennis Schröder, the Lakers capably survived and will now look to continue their impressive form in the next round of the playoffs. Schröder was ejected after receiving his second technical foul of the night from an exchange with Draymond Green. Nonetheless, the Lakers continued their impressive winning streak and attributed their success to "togetherness" as they look to "shock the world".
