After failing to close out the Memphis Grizzlies on the road in Game 5, the Los Angeles Lakers had another opportunity at home in Game 6 on Friday night.
They did not waste this opportunity as the Lakers jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, blowing the Grizzlies out 125-85 to close out the series.
Ja Morant got his team off to a hot start with four quick points before Jarred Vanderbilt answered with a corner 3-pointer to settle the Lakers in.
Despite Dillon Brooks naming a couple early shots, the Lakers had good energy and eventually took their first lead, extending it to 14-9 after a triple by Austin Reaves.
D’Angelo Russell also got going early, driving for a few easy layups while LeBron James eventually got in on the action with a rare 3-pointer.
The Lakers built a lead as high as 15 in the first quarter with Anthony Davis also dominating on both ends, and they eventually took a 31-20 lead into the second.
L.A. scored four straight to begin the second and continued to build their lead from there with Rui Hachimura finishing a pair of dunks and James completing a three-point play to extend it to 19.
Ironically, it was Brooks that made a few outside shots to keep his team in it, but the Lakers still went into the halftime locker room leading 59-42.
Morant began the third quarter with a 3-pointer, although it was immediately matched by Russell and he even one-upped it by making two straight. After Vanderbilt got in on the action, the Lakers’ lead was a game-high 23, forcing a Memphis timeout.
At that point, the Grizzlies needed to make a run or they risked things getting out of hand. The only problem was that Davis continued to dominate defensively while Reaves and Russell made shots to continue extending the lead.
Russell really caught fire from there, drilling back-to-back triples to bring the lead to 30 midway through the third quarter. Davis then threw down a monstrous poster dunk on Jaren Jackson Jr. as the home crowd erupted.
Davis wasn’t done there as he continued to get the crowd going with hustle plays on both ends, keeping the league at 30-plus before he went to the bench for the final time near the end of the third.
The Lakers took an insane 100-67 lead into the fourth quarter, allowing the reserves to finish out the game while Davis, James and the rest of the starters earned some much-needed rest.
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