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The Lakers will meet the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, while the Heat await their opponent.
Lakers handle Warriors at home, close out series with 122-101 rout
If you had told me at the beginning of this NBA season that come May, the two teams playing in the Western Conference Finals would be the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers, I’d have said, “Sure, but who did the Lakers trade for and who did they have to give up?” And had you responded, “They got D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt,” I would have laughed and told you that wasn’t enough.
And yet, here we are. May has come, and sure enough, those players play for the Lakers, and those Lakers will meet the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. They handled business at home on Friday night to close out the Golden State Warriors in a blowout. They never trailed, led by as many as 24, and thoroughly outplayed the defending champs to clinch a shot to advance to the Finals for the first time since the 2020 bubble. No, it hasn’t been long. But given the ups and downs this team has endured over the course of the last few years since that title, it feels like the layoff has gone quite a bit longer.
LeBron James led the way with 30 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, while a probably-concussed Anthony Davis had 17 points and 20 rebounds. Austin Reaves added 23 points and six assists, along with five rebounds. The Lakers improved to 7-0 at home since the end of the regular season. They also managed to snap Golden State’s — and Steph Curry’s — streak of 28 playoff series with at least one road victory.
The Lakers are the first team since 2014 to eliminate Curry’s Warriors from the playoffs before the NBA Finals. The superstar dropped 32 points, but he missed 10 of 14 triples. Klay Thompson went three-for-19 from the field. A repeat just wasn’t meant to be.
Heat hold off Knicks, 96-92, advance to second-straight Eastern Conference Finals
Despite 41 from Jalen Brunson, Miami felt in control for much of this one. Though the Knicks led by 14 early in the first half, the Heat withstood it all, behind 24 points from Jimmy Butler. Bam Adebayo added 23 and the Heat are headed back to the Eastern Conference finals for the seventh time in 13 years and the third time in the past four seasons.
The Knicks, meanwhile, suffer another early exit after a “surprisingly” promising season. Brunson led the way, as he did all season, but his teammates scored just 51 points combined. Julius Randle had 15 and Josh Hart scored 11, but RJ Barrett had a disappointing 11 on 1-for-10 shooting.
Thus ends the run that began with a 4-1 series win over the Cavaliers, while the run for the history-defying Heat continues on to the Eastern Conference Finals. They’ll meet the Celtics of the 76ers, whose Game 7 will decide the series on Sunday.
