NEWSLETTER
The Los Angeles Lakers will battle the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
In a shocking turn of events, LeBron James and Co. took down the defending champions in six games. The final battle added to the long list of blowouts in these playoffs, with the Lakers cruising to a 122-101 victory. The Golden State Warriors went out with a true dud, shooting just 37.9 percent from the field and an even uglier 27.1 percent from downtown.
Meanwhile, the Lakers looked calm and collected, as James dropped 30 points on a hyper-efficient 10-14 shooting. He played 43 minutes in what was a super strong and not-at-all surprising elimination game performance. Austin Reaves also added a much-needed 23 points, while Lonnie Walker continued his solid play with 13 points off the bench.
The question now is can the Lakers continue their heroic post-trade-deadline run against the Western Conference’s top team? The Denver Nuggets had their own dominant victory over the Suns to advance, as Jokic is averaging 30.1 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 9.7 assists over his 11 playoff games thus far. The Lakers should have more physically imposing bodies than the Suns to throw at The Joker, but there is no question the Nuggets will walk into the matchup as the favorites.
As for the Warriors, all eyes will be on how they retool to try to continue their dynasty this offseason. Stephen Curry continues to play at an elite level, and the organization has to do everything it can to put him around the right supporting cast.
In case you missed it, the Miami Heat are waiting to see who they will face in the East Finals …
