There was concern about how the Los Angeles Lakers would play in a potential close-out Game 6 against the Memphis Grizzlies after falling in Game 5 by 17 points.
But with the home crowd fueling it, Los Angeles not only won, but dominated the entire contest.
After Memphis took a 9-5 lead, Los Angeles scored nine unanswered points. From that point, it was a purple and gold tsunami. The Lakers went up 59-42 at halftime. Unlike in Game 3 when they got out to a huge lead, they actually extended their lead in the third quarter. They ended the period with a 100-67 advantage thanks to a relentless killer instinct.
With 9:42 left in the fourth quarter, Ja Morant and Desmond Bane left the game for Memphis, and from there the Lakers cruised to a 125-85 victory. Their defense was savage, as they held Memphis to just 30.2 percent shooting.
They advance to the Western Conference semifinals for only the second time since 2012, and it is the first time since then that the Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) crowd has enjoyed a Lakers playoff game in a series that they won.
The team will face the winner of Game 7 between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings in the next round starting on Tuesday. It is a scenario that seemed completely unthinkable for many until the last few weeks.
Anthony Davis: A
Davis scored just 16 points, but he was absolutely dominant on this night. The Lakers got him the ball a lot near the rim while on the move, and he helped put both of Memphis’ big men — Jaren Jackson Jr. and Xavier Tillman Sr. — in foul trouble.
As if to send a message, Davis dunked on Jackson, the Defensive Player of the Year, in the third quarter, then flexed afterward. He finished 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
But it was on the other end where Davis created the most chaos for Memphis. He was a defensive force in the middle, and although he blocked five shots, he altered some additional ones while grabbing 14 rebounds, leading to some easy transition buckets by the Lakers.
Jarred Vanderbilt: B-plus
After Ja Morant scored 31 points on some hot shooting in Game 5, he was held down and forced into a poor 3-of-16 clunker with the help of Vanderbilt.
Elsewhere, Vanderbilt showed a seemingly improving outside shot. As the Grizzlies and others have been doing, they completely ignored the Lakers forward on the perimeter, and he made them pay by hitting 3-of-8 from 3-point range to score nine points. He also added three assists, three rebounds, two blocked shots and one steal.
LeBron James: B-plus
James didn’t do a whole lot in Game 6, but he didn’t need to, and he still ended up playing a very effective game, not just offensively but defensively as well.
He worked a lot more off the ball than in previous games, as D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves handled the ball most of the time, especially in L.A.’s halfcourt sets. That allowed him to get plenty of easy baskets off cuts to the basket and in transition. The Lakers outscored Memphis in fast-break points 24-14, and they could’ve easily had at least 30 fast-break points if it weren’t for sloppy turnovers.
James finished with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, five rebounds and six assists. Even better, since this was such a blowout, he played just 31 minutes, which will help him be fresh on top of the three full days of rest he will have before Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
D'Angelo Russell: A-plus
Some fans and observers doubted whether Russell has what it takes to play well under the pressure of the NBA playoffs. But on Friday, he put those doubts to rest.
With L.A.’s season arguably on the line, he got off to a hot start, and he never cooled off. He scored 31 points on 12-of-17 overall shooting and 5-of-9 from downtown while adding four assists, one steal and one block, and it is easily the best postseason game he has ever had.
For the series, Russell also played well in Game 1 and Game 4, and perhaps it will help him turn the page on the postseason narrative that has surrounded him thus far in his career.
Austin Reaves: B/B-plus
Reaves handled the ball a good amount of time for Los Angeles, and he led the team with eight assists while collecting six rebounds and scoring 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting. He struggled with his 3-point shooting, making just one of his seven attempts from that distance, but he was otherwise very effective once again on Friday.
The undrafted guard also had two blocked shots, helping the Lakers finish with a beastly 15 rejections.
Rui Hachimura: B
Hachimura guarded Desmond Bane when he came into the game, and it seemed to work, as Bane shot only 3-of-9 in the first half and 5-of-16 for the game after scoring over 30 points in each of the last two games.
On the offensive end, the forward had six points on 3-of-5 shooting while adding four rebounds, one steal and one block. Although he hasn’t been as prolific lately as he was in the first three games of the series, he was nonetheless been huge the entire time.
Dennis Schroder: B
Schroder shot 1-of-4 from the field in Game 6, and for most of this series, he has been ineffective offensively. But he has helped in other areas.
On Friday, he had five assists, four rebounds and two steals in 23 minutes. His defense will come in handy in the next series; the Lakers will have to deal with either De’Aaron Fox or Stephen Curry.
Wenyen Gabriel: A-minus/A
Unlike in recent games, head coach Darvin Ham went with Gabriel at the 5 when Davis was resting. The 6-foot-9 man responded by scoring six points on 3-of-5 shooting and getting two rebounds while rejecting two shots in 10 minutes.
Troy Brown Jr.: C
Brown did not see any time in the first three quarters, and he only came in for the final nine minutes of the game. He went scoreless, but he contributed three rebounds and two assists.
If he is to remain in Ham’s rotation, he will have to provide the team with some accurate 3-point shooting from here on out.
Mo Bamba: C-plus
Bamba got some meaningful playing time for the first time since the end of the regular season, although all of his nine minutes came in garbage time. He didn’t score a point as he missed both of his shot attempts, but he did grab three rebounds, block one shot and add one assist.
Malik Beasley: C-plus
Beasley played nine minutes, all of them coming in the fourth quarter. He went 2-of-6 from the floor, 1-of-4 from 3-point land and 4-of-4 from the free throw line to score nine points, to go along with two rebounds and two assists.
Lonnie Walker IV: A
Walker received scant playing time the last several weeks, but he played nine minutes on Friday, and he showed that he still has game. He shot 3-of-6 overall and 2-of-5 from beyond the arc, giving him eight points.
Max Christie: A-minus
Christie played nine minutes in Game 6, which was the most playing time he has received in a game since Feb. 9 versus the Milwaukee Bucks. He made 2-of-3 shots from the field, including a 3-pointer, while adding three rebounds and one block.
