Lakers Crush Grizzlies by 40, Advance to Second Round of NBA Playoffs

• The Los Angeles Lakers have eliminated the Memphis Grizzlies from the NBA playoffs
• They won Game 125-85 to advance to the second round
• The Lakers await the winner of Golden State Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings in the second round

The Los Angeles Lakers sealed their first-round series with an emphatic 125-85 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 6.

It was the Lakers' first home win to close out a playoff series since 2012 when it beat the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 in the first round.

LeBron James promised to be better in Game 6 after a rugged performance in Game 5. He was. The 38-year-old finished with 22 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.

He also tied Derek Fisher with the 40th playoff series win of his career for the most all-time. 

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Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell finished with a game-high and career-playoff-high 31 points on 12-for-17 shooting. Anthony Davis contributed 16 points and 14 rebounds, per the Athletic.

The Lakers shot 53.8% from the floor and limited the Grizzlies to 30.2% shooting. James left the court before the final buzzer.

Reactions to Lakers win

Lakers coach Darvin Ham said James is playing with urgency since there are not many postseasons for him as he enters the final years of his career.

"He's playing with a sense of urgency," Ham said of the 20-year veteran before the game. "He knows there's only so many more of these [postseason runs] he's going to be able to participate in. So he's definitely been in the moment," via ESPN.

Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane promised there will be a Game 7, but they fell short. He said his team will remember this.

“It is disappointing to end the season the way that we did,” Bane said. “But it’s something that I’m not going to forget, and I think a lot of the guys in our locker room won’t forget.”

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Game 6 was the Grizzlies’’ third-worst margin of defeat this season and their worst playoff loss in franchise history. 

The Lakers await the winner of the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings series in Game 7 on Sunday. The Lakers are only the second play-in team to reach the second round after Miami Heat earlier this week. It has been a good season so far for the Lakers, who started 2-10.

James ignores Brooks' jibes

Sports Brief also reported on James dismissing jabs by Brooks after the Lakers' 103-93 defeat in Game 2.

The Grizzles swingman called him old and said he would only respect James if he scored 40 points on him.

"I'm not here for the [expletive]," James said after practice Friday. "I'm ready to play and that's it."