LeBron James led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 122-101 triumph over the Golden State Warriors, the 2022 NBA Champions, in the Western Conference Finals.
The Los Angeles Lakers started the regular season with their worst record in 65 years, but thanks to a convincing win against the Golden State Warriors, who have claimed four of the last eight NBA titles, they are still in the running for their 18th NBA title and 20th Conference crown.
The Warriors were defeated by James’ brilliant effort in California, where the four-time NBA champion and NBA’s all-time top scorer added nine assists and nine rebounds to his 30 points.
Anthony Davis recorded 17 points and 20 rebounds while continuing to play despite suffering a head injury in game five as the Lakers ease off the Warriors.
Stephen Curry, a standout for the Warriors who lost despite scoring 32 points, got a consolation hug from James after the game.
Meanwhile, the NBA Finals will be decided by the outcome of the series between the top-seeded Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers. In the regular season, the Lakers finished sixth.
The Miami Heat had to overcome the New York Knicks to go to the Eastern Conference finals.
Jimmy Buttler finished with 24 points and 8 rebounds as the Heat defeated the Magic 96-92 in Florida to win the series 4-2 and progress to the Conference finals as the eighth seed for the first time in 24 years.
They will face either the Boston Celtics or the Philadelphia 76ers in their crucial seventh game on Sunday, which is tied at 3-3.
