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NBA: Lakers eliminate defending champion Warriors in playoffs

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) hangs on the basket after dunking the ball during the second half of Game 6 of their NBA Western Conference playoff semifinals against Golden State Warriors at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, USA, May 12, 2023. Allison Dinner, EPA-EFE." src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/sports/05/13/051323_nba_lal-anthony-davis_epa.jpg"/><figcaption>Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) hangs on the basket after dunking the ball during the second half of Game 6 of their NBA Western Conference playoff semifinals against Golden State Warriors at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, USA, May 12, 2023. <em>Allison Dinner, EPA-EFE.</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>LOS ANGELES (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) -- The Los Angeles Lakers ran defending champions Golden State out of the NBA playoffs in dominant style on Friday, beating the Warriors 122-101 to advance to the Western Conference finals.</p><p>LeBron James delivered a masterful 30-point performance as the Lakers won the semi-final series four games to two and booked a clash with Nikola Jokic and the top-seeded Denver Nuggets for a place in the NBA Finals.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s going to be a great series,&quot; James told broadcaster ESPN. &quot;They&#x27;ve been the number one seed in the West all season long. We give them a lot of respect.&quot;</p><p>The Lakers led wire-to-wire, with James adding nine rebounds and nine assists as the Lakers closed out the Warriors in their second attempt after dropping game five in San Francisco.</p><p>HIGHLIGHTS:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HJJEfn0-idU?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>&quot;Not many (members) of our team have been in close-out games,&quot; James said. &quot;So after game five up in the Bay, I knew I had to come in with a lot of aggression but be very efficient and very strategic in how I played this game.&quot;</p><p>Anthony Davis scored 17 points and pulled down 20 rebounds for Los Angeles and Austin Reaves scored 23 points -- including a half-court shot at the halftime buzzer that put the Lakers up 56-46 at the break.</p><p>Since clawing their way into the play-in tournament, the Lakers have won seven straight home games.</p><p>Their victory marked the first time that the current Warriors dynasty led by Stephen Curry and coached by Steve Kerr has lost a Western Conference playoff series.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><p>The Warriors had reached the NBA Finals in six of the last eight seasons, winning four titles, missing the post-season in 2020 and 2021.</p><p>Curry scored 32 points but made just four of his 10 three-point shots.</p><p>Sharpshooter Klay Thompson made just two of his twelve three-point attempts.</p><p>&quot;(We) just tried to make it tough on them,&quot; Davis said of the Lakers&#x27; defensive strategy against the prolific Warriors offense. &quot;They&#x27;re the defending champion, they&#x27;re not going to go away. Their ability to score the ball, shoot the ball is unreal, unmatched.</p><p>&quot;We just wanted to keep the pressure up, the intensity up, and be the hardest-playing team for 48 minutes.&quot;</p>

The Los Angeles Lakers ran defending champions Golden State out of the NBA playoffs in dominant style on Friday.