FSM Essential Recap: Lakers vs Warriors - Game 6 - 2023

FSM Essential Recap: Lakers vs Warriors – Game 6 – 2023

Franchise Sports Media

Los Angeles Lakers (43-39) | Golden State Warriors (44-38)

 

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the defending champions, Golden State Warriors, in Game 6 with their 122-101 victory, finishing the series 4-2.

The Lakers vs Warriors played at the Crypto.com Arena on Friday.

The Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Golden State Warriors in six games, advancing to the Western Conference finals for the 42nd time in franchise history, extending their NBA record (Boston Celtics are second with 37). LeBron James wins his 41st playoff series, the most in NBA history. 

“I’m happy for him,” Austin Reaves said of James. “I know he wanted this series badly.”

Reaves averaged 19.7 points and five assists per game over the last three games against Golden State. The rise of the undrafted-rookie-free-agent continues.

With this being the 41st playoff series win for James, he breaks a tie with Los Angeles’ own Derek Fisher.

James finished the game with his best performance yet this postseason, totaling his first 30-point game (10-of-14 FGs, 2-for-3 3s, 8-of-11 FTs) of the playoffs since Game five of the 2020 Finals, along with nine rebounds, nine assists, and two steals.

“It’s unbelievable,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said of the Lakers being in the Western Conference Finals after starting the season 2-10. “It’s been a hell of a ride. I hope it never ends. We just have to take it day by day and be in the moment.”

With his seventh rebound of the game, James passed Shaquille O’Neal for fourth place on the NBA’s all-time postseason rebounds list, 3. Tim Duncan – 2,859, 4. James – 2,509, 5. O’Neal – 2,508. James is also first in scoring, first in steals, and second in assists, right behind Magic Johnson.

LeBron James had arguably his best game of the playoffs

Anthony Davis came through with 17 points (5-of-9 FGs, 7-of-10 FTs), 20 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks. Davis had ten rebounds in the first quarter alone.

The start of the Lakers vs Warriors’ first half. 

“He’s a champion,” D’Angelo Russell said of Davis after suffering a head injury after Game 5. “I didn’t think he would miss a game like that.”

The Lakers moved to 26-11 in playoff games that James and Davis played in. They also move to 6-3 in closeout games with those two and have never lost a series that they’ve gotten to three wins.

Stephen Curry scored 32 points while missing 10 of his 14 3-point attempts. The pursuit of his fifth championship in nine seasons ended with three straight road losses and a lacking offensive performance by Curry’s teammates in Game 6, including a 3-of-19 effort by Klay Thompson, who missed 10 of his 12 3-point attempts.

The Splash Brothers were in the dry season when it mattered against the Lakers. Thompson went 10-for-36 on 3-pointers in the series’ final four games, while Curry was 14-for-49.

The Lakers tweaked their coverages by starting Dennis Schroder, and Golden State started 4-for-19 from the field.

After leading by as many as 17 points in the opening quarter, Los Angeles was outscored 16-4 over the final 3:24 of the quarter. The defending champs charged back behind Curry and cut the margin all the way down to five.

Schroder did a terrific job getting around the screens set for Curry. He limited Curry to 3-for-10 FGs thus far.

The Lakers entered intermission with a much-needed boost after Austin Reaves’ halfcourt buzzer-beater was good.

The end of the Lakers vs Warriors’ first half. 

“It felt good,” Reaves said on his halfcourt buzzer-beater. “You don’t make many of those, but it did feel good when I shot it.”

The start of the Lakers vs Warriors’ second half. 

Los Angeles matched their biggest lead of the game, at 70-53, with a 14-7 start to the third quarter, capped by back-to-back transition layups from James.

A costly interchange for the Lakers, as Schroder, the key man in Los Angeles’ smaller starting lineup, was ejected as he and Draymond Green got matching technicals. Schroder didn’t back down from Green. The two of them have been going back and forth all series.

The Lakers have not lost at home since March. The energy and the home-court advantage they have built over the past two months are incredible.

This is the first time in the Steve Kerr era the Warriors have lost a West playoff series. They were 19-0 beforehand. This also snaps an NBA record streak of 28 straight playoff series with a road win for the Warriors.

Both teams emptied their benches with three minutes left before the Lakers advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in three years.

The Lakers are the second seventh seed to make the conference finals, with the 1986-87 Seattle SuperSonics being the first to do it.

“We already know that monster in the Rocky Mountains is waiting on us,” Ham said of Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. “But can we just enjoy this one first?”

The final score of the Lakers vs Warriors was 122-101, Lakers.

The Lakers will now look to take on the Denver Nuggets next week.

 

– Jake Ideguchi-Furukawa – Franchise Sports Media

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