Tag: Lakers

Jokic dominant as Nuggets down Lakers, Suns sink Warriors

Nikola Jokic delivered a dominant triple-double performance as the Denver Nuggets launched the defense of their NBA championship crown with a season-opening 119-107 victory over LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. On a night which saw Nuggets players receive their championship rings as the team raised its first banner in franchise history, Denver tipped off the 2023-2024 season with a display which suggested they will once again be one of the teams […]

Denver Nuggets oust Lakers to reach NBA Finals for first time

LOS ANGELES, United States, May 23, 2023 (AFP) — Nikola Jokic led a second-half fightback as the Denver Nuggets completed a 4-0 Western Conference championship sweep over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic finished with 30 points after the Nuggets overturned a 15-point half-time deficit to send LeBron James and the Lakers crashing out of the postseason […]

Unheralded Walker sparks Lakers rally as Warriors wobble

By Rob Woollard Agence France-Presse MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Unheralded bench player Lonnie Walker led a fourth-quarter rally as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors to leave the NBA champions on the brink of elimination from the playoffs on Monday. The 24-year-old Walker erupted for 15 fourth-quarter points as the Lakers completed a dramatic 104-101 victory to put them one win away from clinching the best-of-seven Western Conference second-round series. Walker, […]

Davis, Lakers hold off Warriors to win opener

SAN FRANCISCO, United States — Anthony Davis scored 30 points and led a defensive masterclass as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 117-112 on the road to take a 1-0 lead in their NBA Western Conference playoff series on Tuesday. The eagerly anticipated showdown between the two Californian glamour clubs lived up to the billing as the Lakers held off a thrilling late Golden State rally to take a crucial early advantage […]

Morant magic keeps Grizzlies alive as Lakers beaten

MEMPHIS, United States (AFP) — Ja Morant led a superb second half rally as the Memphis Grizzlies kept their NBA playoff campaign alive with a 116-99 victory over LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Memphis, down 3-1 in the best-of-seven Western Conference series after defeat in game four, looked to be in control after opening up a 17-point lead in the first half in front of their raucous home fans at the […]

Grizzlies hold off Lakers to level series 1-1

Los Angeles, United States (AFP) — The Memphis Grizzlies shook off the absence of star guard Ja Morant to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 103-93 on Wednesday and knot their NBA Western Conference playoff series at one game apiece. Xavier Tillman scored 22 points and pulled down 18 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies, who led by as many as 20 points in a bruising battle that saw Lakers center Anthony Davis suffer a small cut […]

Lakers star James opted against foot surgery to pursue playoff push

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Monday 3/27/2023 Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James returned from a four-week injury absence on Sunday, revealing after the team’s NBA loss to Chicago he had torn a tendon in his right foot. James scored 19 points off the bench — just his second game as a reserve in his 20-year NBA career — but the Lakers fell to an energized Bulls team 118-108. The 38-year-old star, who […]

James working ‘around the clock’ to return for Lakers

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — LeBron James said Thursday he is working “around the clock” to regain full fitness but rejected reports that he had set a target date to return before the end of the NBA regular season. Multiple US media outlets reported on Thursday that the Los Angeles Lakers superstar was eyeing a possible return in the final three games of the season. James, who has not played since suffering a foot […]

James hungers to avoid second straight NBA playoff miss

SALT LAKE CITY, United States (AFP) — LeBron James has not missed the NBA playoffs in back-to-back seasons since his first two campaigns and the Los Angeles Lakers star really doesn’t want it to happen this year. The 38-year-old playmaker who became the NBA’s all-time scoring leader earlier this month said before Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game that the closing push to reach a playoff spot is among his biggest regular-season quests. “It’s 23 of the […]

Lakers acquiring Russell in three-team deal that sends Westbrook to Jazz: reports

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The Los Angeles Lakers are poised to trade Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz in a three-team deal that will bring Minnesota’s D’Angelo Russell to the Lakers, US media reported on Wednesday. ESPN reported that the Lakers will also land Minnesota’s Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt while the Timberwolves will receive Jazz guards Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker as well as draft picks. The Jazz will receive Westbrook along […]

LeBron James: The man who would be King

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — LeBron James, blessed with unparalleled basketball skills, exceptional longevity and unafraid to use the platform of NBA superstardom, has forged a unique destiny in his quest to be the best player of all time. For twenty years, more than half his life, the player dubbed The Chosen One by Sports Illustrated when he was still in high school has embraced excellence. Now the top scorer in NBA history after […]

‘Matter of time’ before scoring record falls says LeBron

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — LeBron James said Tuesday it’s only a “matter of time” before he passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the greatest scorer in NBA history after edging closer to the long-standing NBA record. James’ 28-point triple-double in the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the New York Knicks means the 38-year-old superstar needs just 89 more points to eclipse Abdul-Jabbar’s mark of 38,387. At his current rate of scoring, James is on target […]