The Los Angeles Lakers’ bid to repeat as NBA champions has come to an unceremonious end. Lakers suffered a 113-100 loss in a must-win Game 6 against the Phoenix Suns and bowed out from the playoffs in the first round.

The Suns were led by their star guard Devin Booker, who continued his strong postseason play by torching the Lakers with a 47-point performance. He had help from veteran Chris Paul, who didn’t have a strong scoring night (eight points) but managed to impact the game with 12 assists and strong defense.

The Lakers, on the other hand, were short-handed almost from the beginning. After spending less than five minutes on the court, All-Star Anthony Davis reinjured his ankle and was done for the night. LeBron James tried to do it all by himself from that point on, but his 29 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists didn’t do much to keep the Lakers alive.

The loss was especially tough on James, who not only missed out on a chance to win his fifth ring but also spoiled his perfect playoff first-round record. Prior to the 2020-21 postseason, James made the playoff 14 times and has never been eliminated in the first round.

“It doesn’t matter to me as far as not making it out of the first round,” said James about the record. “What matters to me is getting this team back healthy. Me not being able to be at my full strength throughout this series, that’s my main focus.”

Lakers are now looking towards a long offseason which they will use to become healthy and retool for another try in 2021-22.

In the meantime, the Suns will look to make the most out of their first playoff appearance since 2010. They are scheduled to face the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals.

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LeBron James was once again at his best when it mattered the most. James delivered a strong all-around performance in the play-in tournament on Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors and secured a 103-100 win for the Los Angeles Lakers. This included a clutch go-ahead 34-foot 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter.

The game didn’t start well for the Lakers, who found themselves 13 points behind at the half. To shake things up, Los Angeles’ head coach Frank Vogel decided to pull out Andre Drummond and put Anthony Davis at center. This proved to be a turning point in the contest, as the Lakers rallied back and almost erased the entire deficit.

The fourth quarter saw teams exchanging points, and at that point, it was anyone’s game. The only difference was that one team had James and the other didn’t.

With around a minute left in the contest, both sides had 100 points apiece. The Lakers had the ball, but it looked like they wouldn’t do much with it. At one point, James dished the ball to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the paint, but the 28-year-old shooting guard found himself surrounded by Golden State’s defense.

With nowhere to go, Caldwell-Pope abandoned the layup and gave the ball back. With the shooting clock winding down, James launched a three and hit nothing but the bottom of the net to make it 103-100.

The Warriors tried to respond quickly, but the Lakers tightened up their defense and managed to come up with a win.

James finished the game with a triple-double, scoring 22 points to go with 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Davis had 25 points and 12 boards, while Dennis Schroeder, Alex Caruso, and Caldwell-Pope also achieved double digits scoring.

Golden State was led by Stephen Curry as expected, with this year’s MVP candidate scoring 37 points. Andrew Wiggins had 21 points, and Kent Bazemore and Jordan Poole each scored 10 apiece.

The win propelled the Lakers to the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and will see them play the No. 2-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round. The Warriors, on the other hand, will look to punch their playoff ticket in an elimination game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

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LeBron James is still by many the best basketball player in the world, but despite this, there is a big chance we won’t see him in the playoffs this year. His Los Angeles Lakers are currently sitting 11^th in the standings in Western Conference and are 6.5 games from the playoff spot. Following Tuesday’s 123-107 win over the Chicago Bulls, James acknowledged this himself saying that his team’s chances of making the playoffs are “slim.”   

“Obviously, I would love for the team to be in the postseason,” – said James. “Even if I’m not a part of it, the postseason I’ve always loved. But right now, it’s not the hand I was dealt, so you play the hand that you were dealt until the dealer shuffles the cards and you’re dealt another hand and can do that.”

James made his first playoff appearance in 2006 with Cleveland Cavaliers and made it to the postseason every year after that.

“Definitely, I’ll be watching it if we’re not in there, and it looks like our chances are slim to none after each and every game, and so many teams in the West are playing well,” –  the 34-year-old star added. “So you try to get better, but this won’t be the last time I’ll be in the postseason.”

LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers on a four-year, $154 million contract last summer, hoping to have a better chance at winning another NBA Championship. Although going for a title in the 2018/19 wasn’t expected, both James and the franchise believed they can make a good playoff run. This is now unlikely to happen, and they will have to look to make amends in the next season when Lakers hope they’ll lure another superstar to join James in Los Angeles.

In his first season with the Lakers, James is currently averaging 27.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

The post LeBron James Admits Lakers’ Have “Slim” Chances of Making the Playoffs appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It looks like Toronto Raptors just can’t figure out how to stop LeBron James. On Thursday night the Cleveland Cavaliers faced the Raptors in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals and suffered a convincing 128 – 110 defeat. The man who orchestrated the Cavs’ win? LeBron James, of course.

James scored 43 points and added 14 assists alongside eight rebounds to give his team 2-0 comfortable lead in the series. It isn’t like the Raptors didn’t try to stop him. They contested 26 of his 27 shots, but he managed to make 17 of them including seven fadeaways. After an unconvincing Game 1, where the Cavaliers managed to grind out a win in overtime and where James wasn’t at his best, this performance reminded everyone why he is still the best basketball player alive.

“The ball was popping, guys were feeling involved, everybody felt their comfort [zone],” – said James after the game. “No matter at home or on the road, you want to try to play that type of basketball.“

James wasn’t alone in his quest to take down the Raptors, with Kevin Love finally playing at an All-Star level he was trying to get to for better part of the postseason. Love finished the game with 31 points and 11 rebounds.

This is the eighth straight playoff game where the Cavs have beaten the Raptors and it might not be the end of it. The series will now move to Cleveland, and it is hard to expect that the Cavs will pass on the opportunity to close out the series in front of their home audience. It is worth noting that the Raptors 0-5 postseason record at the Cavs’ Quicken Loans Arena.

The post LeBron James Scores 43 Points as Cavs take a 2-0 lead in the Series Against the Raptors appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ bid to repeat as NBA champions has come to an unceremonious end. Lakers suffered a 113-100 loss in a must-win Game 6 against the Phoenix Suns and bowed out from the playoffs in the first round.

The Suns were led by their star guard Devin Booker, who continued his strong postseason play by torching the Lakers with a 47-point performance. He had help from veteran Chris Paul, who didn’t have a strong scoring night (eight points) but managed to impact the game with 12 assists and strong defense.

The Lakers, on the other hand, were short-handed almost from the beginning. After spending less than five minutes on the court, All-Star Anthony Davis reinjured his ankle and was done for the night. LeBron James tried to do it all by himself from that point on, but his 29 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists didn’t do much to keep the Lakers alive.

The loss was especially tough on James, who not only missed out on a chance to win his fifth ring but also spoiled his perfect playoff first-round record. Prior to the 2020-21 postseason, James made the playoff 14 times and has never been eliminated in the first round.

“It doesn’t matter to me as far as not making it out of the first round,” said James about the record. “What matters to me is getting this team back healthy. Me not being able to be at my full strength throughout this series, that’s my main focus.”

Lakers are now looking towards a long offseason which they will use to become healthy and retool for another try in 2021-22.

In the meantime, the Suns will look to make the most out of their first playoff appearance since 2010. They are scheduled to face the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals.

The post Suns Eliminate Lakers, End LeBron James’ Perfect First-Round Record appeared first on SportzBonanza.

LeBron James was once again at his best when it mattered the most. James delivered a strong all-around performance in the play-in tournament on Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors and secured a 103-100 win for the Los Angeles Lakers. This included a clutch go-ahead 34-foot 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter.

The game didn’t start well for the Lakers, who found themselves 13 points behind at the half. To shake things up, Los Angeles’ head coach Frank Vogel decided to pull out Andre Drummond and put Anthony Davis at center. This proved to be a turning point in the contest, as the Lakers rallied back and almost erased the entire deficit.

The fourth quarter saw teams exchanging points, and at that point, it was anyone’s game. The only difference was that one team had James and the other didn’t.

With around a minute left in the contest, both sides had 100 points apiece. The Lakers had the ball, but it looked like they wouldn’t do much with it. At one point, James dished the ball to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the paint, but the 28-year-old shooting guard found himself surrounded by Golden State’s defense.

With nowhere to go, Caldwell-Pope abandoned the layup and gave the ball back. With the shooting clock winding down, James launched a three and hit nothing but the bottom of the net to make it 103-100.

The Warriors tried to respond quickly, but the Lakers tightened up their defense and managed to come up with a win.

James finished the game with a triple-double, scoring 22 points to go with 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Davis had 25 points and 12 boards, while Dennis Schroeder, Alex Caruso, and Caldwell-Pope also achieved double digits scoring.

Golden State was led by Stephen Curry as expected, with this year’s MVP candidate scoring 37 points. Andrew Wiggins had 21 points, and Kent Bazemore and Jordan Poole each scored 10 apiece.

The win propelled the Lakers to the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and will see them play the No. 2-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round. The Warriors, on the other hand, will look to punch their playoff ticket in an elimination game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The post LeBron James’ Clutch Three-Pointer Secures Play-In Win for Lakers against Warriors appeared first on SportzBonanza.

LeBron James is still by many the best basketball player in the world, but despite this, there is a big chance we won’t see him in the playoffs this year. His Los Angeles Lakers are currently sitting 11^th in the standings in Western Conference and are 6.5 games from the playoff spot. Following Tuesday’s 123-107 win over the Chicago Bulls, James acknowledged this himself saying that his team’s chances of making the playoffs are “slim.”   

“Obviously, I would love for the team to be in the postseason,” – said James. “Even if I’m not a part of it, the postseason I’ve always loved. But right now, it’s not the hand I was dealt, so you play the hand that you were dealt until the dealer shuffles the cards and you’re dealt another hand and can do that.”

James made his first playoff appearance in 2006 with Cleveland Cavaliers and made it to the postseason every year after that.

“Definitely, I’ll be watching it if we’re not in there, and it looks like our chances are slim to none after each and every game, and so many teams in the West are playing well,” –  the 34-year-old star added. “So you try to get better, but this won’t be the last time I’ll be in the postseason.”

LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers on a four-year, $154 million contract last summer, hoping to have a better chance at winning another NBA Championship. Although going for a title in the 2018/19 wasn’t expected, both James and the franchise believed they can make a good playoff run. This is now unlikely to happen, and they will have to look to make amends in the next season when Lakers hope they’ll lure another superstar to join James in Los Angeles.

In his first season with the Lakers, James is currently averaging 27.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

The post LeBron James Admits Lakers’ Have “Slim” Chances of Making the Playoffs appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It looks like Toronto Raptors just can’t figure out how to stop LeBron James. On Thursday night the Cleveland Cavaliers faced the Raptors in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals and suffered a convincing 128 – 110 defeat. The man who orchestrated the Cavs’ win? LeBron James, of course.

James scored 43 points and added 14 assists alongside eight rebounds to give his team 2-0 comfortable lead in the series. It isn’t like the Raptors didn’t try to stop him. They contested 26 of his 27 shots, but he managed to make 17 of them including seven fadeaways. After an unconvincing Game 1, where the Cavaliers managed to grind out a win in overtime and where James wasn’t at his best, this performance reminded everyone why he is still the best basketball player alive.

“The ball was popping, guys were feeling involved, everybody felt their comfort [zone],” – said James after the game. “No matter at home or on the road, you want to try to play that type of basketball.“

James wasn’t alone in his quest to take down the Raptors, with Kevin Love finally playing at an All-Star level he was trying to get to for better part of the postseason. Love finished the game with 31 points and 11 rebounds.

This is the eighth straight playoff game where the Cavs have beaten the Raptors and it might not be the end of it. The series will now move to Cleveland, and it is hard to expect that the Cavs will pass on the opportunity to close out the series in front of their home audience. It is worth noting that the Raptors 0-5 postseason record at the Cavs’ Quicken Loans Arena.

The post LeBron James Scores 43 Points as Cavs take a 2-0 lead in the Series Against the Raptors appeared first on SportzBonanza.