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Lakers Take Down Memphis – Second Round Next

Lakers Anthony Davis and LeBron James pumped as they beat the Memphis Grizzlies
Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James (6) and Anthony Davis (3) (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)AP

The seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers have taken down the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in six games, which ended it a wire-to-wire 40-point win for the Lakers.

LA became the first seventh seed since 2010 to knock off a second seed, which was done by the San Antonio Spurs, who beat the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

Anthony Davis was a monster on the defensive side of the ball, totaling 24 blocks in the series. the Grizzlies were simply not able to get good shots at the rim due to his blocking, contesting, and altering shots. While Davis’ offense game was up and down throughout the series, his defense remained instrumental in advancing to the Semi-Finals.

 

D’Angelo Russell would have a playoff career-high 31 points to lead the way. Russell shot over 50% from the field for the first time in his playoff career and it came at the perfect time in a close-out game.

LeBron James coming off a disappointing Game 5 shooting 5-17 with 5 turnovers, bounced back with 22 points. He shot 9-13 from the field and 2-5 from three, an encouraging sign given his downtown struggles the whole series.

The purple and gold’s defense was stifling, turning the Grizzlies over 14 times. Memphis only shot 30% from the field and their leading scorer was role player Santi Aldama with 16 points. Ironically, Dillon Brooks the most efficient shooter from the field in the Grizzlies’ starting five at 36%.

Memphis would be down 16 at halftime, where the game would relatively still be in reach. However, in the third quarter, the game would become ugly fast with the Lakers outscoring Memphis 41-25, ballooning to a 30-point deficit heading into the final frame.

To put it all into perspective, this storied franchise had no light at the end of the tunnel. Starting the season 0-5 then later 2-10, the Lakers had a slim chance of 0.2% when making the playoffs. Some fans even wondered if the front office was going to salvage the season.

GM Rob Pelinka would pull off moves to acquire D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, and Mo Bamba.

Russell and Vanderbilt were vital in the closeout game and Hachimura put up 29 points in Game 1, 20 points in Game 2, and 16 points in Game 3. Additionally, Hachimura was seen closing out games at times, and overall a key piece in bench production for Los Angeles.

 

Looking Ahead

The Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors are heading to a do-or-die Game 7 on Sunday in Sacramento, courtesy of a huge road from the Kings. This was a blessing in disguise for LA to be able to rest till Tuesday, which is Game 1 of the second round. On the other hand, whoever comes out of this battle of Northern California is only getting one day of rest before jumping right into another series with the Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals.

 

Golden State Warriors Preview

In the regular season, the Warriors and Lakers matched up four times and LA took three of the games, the one loss coming in the regular season opener. The new-looked Los Angeles squad was in town for the other matchups and was able to take care of business. 

The Lakers were just outside the top ten in defensive rating in the regular season, sitting at 12 and 19 for offensive rating. One can assume that Vanderbilt is going to be given the task of guarding the two-time MVP in Stephen Curry. With the Warriors’ motion offense, LA has to be on point with their screen navigation and coverage as well as contesting the majority of Golden States three-point attempts.

Despite Golden State’s awful 11-30 record on the road, they were able to take Game 6 in Sacramento. However, it is still a night and day difference between home and away for the Warriors. 

Overall, if it is a matchup with the Warriors, Darvin Ham and company are going to have their hands full trying to stop this high-powered offense, but it is not impossible. The keys are going to be half-court offense and their size on defense. If the Lakers are going to be able to hang in games against a top ten offense in Golden State, defense will need to be their strong suit.

 

Sacramento Kings Preview

Sacramento is more or less the same general gameplan, but more heightened due to the Kings being the number one team in offensive rating in the regular season. They are more than capable of shooting you out of the gym with players in Malik Monk, Keegan Murray, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, and De’Aaron Fox.

While Barnes and Huerter have struggled in their round one series, you can’t afford for them to get hot or find any sort of rhythm. Although Murray was a no-show early in the series against Golden State, the rookie has found a rhythm, and has scored in double figures the last two games.

Fox has a fracture in his index finger on his shooting hand and did not shoot well in Game 5 (9-25), but was able to find a groove in Game 6 shooting 10-18. A question mark is if Fox is able to be efficient with this injury moving forward. Regardless, the Los Angeles coaching staff is going to have to respect him.

Defense for the Kings is a completely different story. In the regular season, they finished 25th in defensive efficiency. While the Lakers offense is not elite, there is enough firepower to expose this deficiency.

While the box score may not show it, Forward Domantas Sabonis has struggled in the series against the Warriors. He hasn’t looked effective against the physicality of Kevon Looney from the Warriors. It’ll be intriguing how well he fares against AD on both sides of the ball. If Mike Brown elects to play Sabonis one-on-one with Davis, it will be a hard series for them. 

It’s safe to predict seeing double teams coming Davis’ way. Also, it’ll be interesting to see how Los Angeles counterattacks this gameplan along with finding other ways to get him involved offensively.

 

Is There A Preference?

Heading into a second-round matchup with one of these teams is going to be no easy task, especially trying to steal a road game in the Golden One or the Chase Center. However, James and company were able to steal Game One in Memphis, who had the best home record (35-6) in the conference.

In either matchup, you could expect a game plan of trying to eliminate both AD and LeBron’s presence on both sides of the court.  The Lakers are going to have to be prepared to play out of the double fast and efficiently. Yes, both teams have offensive firepower, but aren’t the strongest on defense.

From a fan’s perspective, examining the playoff experience reveals that the Kings have not been in this position for 16 years. However, they could potentially defeat the defending champions, which would provide a significant confidence boost.

As for the Warriors, their championship experience is undeniable, with Steve Kerr as the coach and key players like Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Curry. Although they may not be as dominant as they once were, Golden State remains a dangerous team.

Laker fans would likely prefer a matchup against the Sacramento Kings, given their limited playoff experience and lower-tier defense. Nevertheless, Sunday’s outcome will be a hard-fought battle, regardless of the opponent.

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