The Los Angeles Lakers delivered a statement 125-85 win against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night to advance to the second round of NBA Playoffs. The Lakers became just the sixth No.7 seed in NBA history to beat the No. 2 seed.
The LA team is now waiting for the conclusion of the Golden State Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings series to find out their opponent in the Western Conference semifinals.
After a sluggish performance in a Game 5 loss, the Lakers superstar LeBron James vowed he’d play better. And James delivered on the promise, putting up an efficient performance that saw him score 16 points by halftime. He finished the night with 22 points, five rebounds, and six assists in 31 minutes on the floor.
According to James, the Lakers didn’t want to extend the series any longer and wanted to take care of the business in front of their own fans.
“It was definitely a Game 7 mentality for us,” James told reporters. “We understood that we had an opportunity to play in front of our fans, and we wanted to try to end it tonight.”
Making it to the second round, especially against a talented team like the Grizzlies, is a big success for the Lakers. They endured a tough regular season that saw them start 2-10 and remain under .500 for the better part of the campaign. But after easily handling the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Play-In tournament and now sending Memphis packing, the Lakers now look like a legitimate contender who could go all the way.
