Tag: Lakers

LeBron not thinking about legacy as Lakers chase NBA title

ORLANDO, United States (AFP) — LeBron James says he is not thinking about his basketball legacy as he closes in on a fourth NBA Finals victory with the Los Angeles Lakers here Friday. James is within touching distance of yet another championship as the Lakers head into game five in Orlando with a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven series against the Miami Heat. But while a fourth championship ring is certain to stir debate about […]

Heat ready to respond: Spoelstra

ORLANDO, United States (AFP) — Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra backed his team to bounce back after the Los Angeles Lakers closed in on another NBA championship on Tuesday. After a 102-96 defeat in game four left them 3-1 down in the series, the Heat need a miracle if they are to prevent the Lakers from winning a record-equalling 17th title. Only once before in NBA Finals history has a team overturned a 3-1 deficit, […]

LeBron savors ‘winning time’ after Lakers victory

ORLANDO, United States (AFP) — The Los Angeles Lakers maintained their remarkable fourth quarter winning streak as they secured the game four victory over Miami on Tuesday that left them on the brink of a 17th NBA crown. The Lakers took a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after holding off a physical Miami side in a hard-fought contest to close out a 102-06 win in Orlando. The result extended the Lakers’ record of […]

Miami duo struggling for fitness ahead of game four

ORLANDO, United States (AFP) — Miami Heat star Goran Dragic said he is unlikely to be fit to play in Tuesday’s NBA Finals game four but is hopeful he may recover in time to feature later in the series. Dragic, who has been sidelined since suffering a torn plantar fascia in his left foot in game one last Wednesday, said he was pessimistic of being fit enough to play on Tuesday. “How I feel right […]

Lakers offense limited after Davis runs into foul trouble

ORLANDO, United States (AFP) — Anthony Davis is used to shouldering much of the scoring load for the Los Angeles Lakers, but he says getting in foul trouble early in game three of the NBA Finals took away his effectiveness. “It had an impact. I picked up two (fouls) early, come back in and get the third. So it takes away the aggressiveness on both ends of the floor that I’m used to playing with,” […]

Relentless Butler propels Heat to game 3 win over Lakers

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — The Miami Heat, fueled by a 40-point triple-double from Jimmy Butler, clawed their way back into the NBA Finals with a 115-104 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. The under-manned, under-sized, underdog Heat turned the tables on the Western Conference champions in the NBA’s quarantine bubble in Orlando, cutting the deficit in the best-of-seven championship series to two games to one. “I think we realized that we belong,” […]

Dragic, Adebayo doubtful for game two of NBA Finals: Heat

ORLANDO, United States (AFP) — Injured Miami Heat stars Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo were both listed as doubtful Thursday for game two of the NBA Finals, dealing a hammer blow to the franchise’s hopes of leveling the series. A day after the Heat were pounded 116-98 by the Los Angeles Lakers in game one, Miami’s task became more daunting after confirmation of injuries to both Dragic and Adebayo. Dragic has suffered a torn plantar […]

James keeps eye on ultimate prize as Lakers win NBA Finals opener

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — LeBron James, seeking a fourth NBA title in his 10th Finals appearance, has no trouble keeping his Los Angeles Lakers’ dominant victory in game one of the 2020 title series in perspective. The Lakers shook off a slow start to lead the Miami Heat by as many as 32 points on the way to a 116-98 victory in Orlando, Florida, but James insisted it was no time to celebrate. “The […]

Lakers power past Heat in NBA Finals opener

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — The Los Angeles Lakers manhandled the Miami Heat 116-98 in game one of the NBA Finals on Wednesday in a dominant start to their quest for a 17th championship. After a 10-year absence from the championship series, the Lakers returned with a vengeance in the NBA’s quarantine bubble in Orlando, Florida. Anthony Davis, in the best-of-seven title series for the first time after years of frustration in New Orleans, scored […]

Lakers hold off Nuggets, take 3-1 series lead

ORLANDO, United States (AFP) — Anthony Davis and LeBron James combined for 60 points as the top seeded Los Angeles Lakers seized control of their Western Conference finals series with a 114-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. James finished with 26 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists and Davis had 34 points as Lakers held on to beat the Nuggets and take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series in the NBA’s quarantine […]

Murray to the rescue as Nuggets hold off Lakers

ORLANDO, United States (AFP) — Jamal Murray scored 28 points as the Denver Nuggets held off a ferocious late fightback from the Los Angeles Lakers to roar back into contention in the Western Conference finals series on Tuesday. Murray nailed two crucial late three-pointers in the closing minutes as Denver held on for a 114-106 victory in game three to reduce the Lakers lead in the best-of-seven series to 2-1. But the Nuggets — who […]

Davis’s buzzer beater lifts Lakers over Nuggets

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Anthony Davis drained a three-pointer as time expired to seal the Los Angeles Lakers’ 105-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets Sunday for a 2-0 lead in the NBA Western Conference finals. “People talk about (I’ve) never been in this moment before, pressure, am I ready for it,” Davis said. “I want to take those shots.” Davis scored 31 points and pulled down nine rebounds, and LeBron James added 11 […]