AP – LeBron James made sure the Lakers had the appropriate urgency for a closeout playoff game. Their raucous fans constantly urged them to end an infuriating decade without a postseason celebration on the Lakers’ home court.
When that much passion coincided with a spectacular defensive performance by Anthony Davis, the Memphis Grizzlies didn’t stand a chance.
Davis had 16 points and 14 rebounds while blocking five shots and dominating the paint, D’Angelo Russell scored a career playoff-high 31 points and Los Angeles completed its first-round upset of the Grizzlies with a 125-85 victory in Game 6 yesterday.
James scored 22 points on nine-of-13 shooting for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who emphatically clinched a playoff series in their own arena for the first time since 2012.
“It was definitely a Game 7 mentality for us,” James said. “We understood that we had an opportunity to play in front of our fans, and we wanted to try to end it tonight. We came out with a discipline. From the start of the game, we were just locked in on our game plan all the way until the final seconds.”
The Lakers won all three of their home games in the series, and the final victory was a scary demonstration of their capabilities when James and Davis are both healthy alongside their full supporting cast.
Davis’ imposing defensive presence largely shut down Memphis’ offence in Game 6, while Russell’s five three-pointers highlighted a slick offensive effort from a late-blooming team with championship aspirations.
“We didn’t want to go back to Memphis, to say the least,” said Austin Reaves, who had 11 points, eight assists and six rebounds. “We wanted to end it tonight, home court, so we were super locked-in.”
The Lakers took a 20-point lead in the first half and went up by 36 in the third quarter before coasting to victory in front of superfan Jack Nicholson and a sellout crowd. James and Davis even got to sit out the entire fourth quarter, preserving their legs for the second round.
Los Angeles open their next series on the road on Tuesday against the winner of tonight’s Game 7 between Sacramento and defending champion Golden State.
“This thing is just getting started,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “We passed Level 1. Now we’ve got to start shifting our focus to whoever comes out of that game on Sunday. LeBron had some great words of wisdom he shared after the game. It’s about us, just as much as it’s about our opponent. We have to be the best versions of ourselves.”
Ja Morant scored 10 points on three-of-16 shooting for the Grizzlies, who won 107 games and two Southwest Division titles in the past two seasons, but just one playoff series.
Morant’s injured right hand appeared to hamper his shot, and he seemed unwilling to drive the paint with his usual fearlessness while Davis loomed in the middle. Morant’s teammates couldn’t pick him up: Desmond Bane, who guaranteed a Game 7, had 15 points on five-of-16 shooting, while Jaren Jackson Jr had 14 on three-of-12 shooting.
“We didn’t play our best basketball at all, in my opinion, in these six games,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “We got two wins in this series, but we were far from where we needed to play. Discipline, execution, defensively, the urgency, and then just our production on offence. … (we’ve) just got to find ways to get better. This is a feeling we’ve got to remember. It’s got to motivate us. It’s got to be understood that this is part of our evolution as a team.”
Dillon Brooks, the Memphis agitator who dismissed James as “old” after Game 2 and then got ejected from Game 3 for striking James in the groin, finished a dismal series performance with 10 points in Game 6 while Lakers fans booed his every move.
Brooks left the Grizzlies’ locker room before reporters were allowed in.
“People are going to talk,” said Davis, who blocked 26 shots in the series. “We’ve had some trash talk on the court in the series, but all the talking in the media, we just go out and let our game talk.”
