The Los Angeles Lakers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA playoffs Friday by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 125-85 and sealing a 4-2 series victory.
Japanese men's national team basketball star Rui Hachimura will make his first trip to the conference semifinals after providing key contributions for the Lakers during the best-of-seven series, including a team-high 29 points in their Game 1 win.
He averaged 14.5 points and 4.7 rebounds for the series after scoring six points and grabbing four boards Friday in Game 6 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The performance included a poster dunk that ignited the home crowd, with the Lakers up 31-16 in the first quarter.
Determined to avoid a winner-take-all Game 7 in Memphis, the seventh-seeded Lakers dominated the No. 2 seed Grizzlies from the outset. Point guard D'Angelo Russell top-scored with 31, LeBron James had 22 points, six assists and five rebounds, while Anthony Davis had 16 points and 14 boards.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham earlier in the week lauded Hachimura for his playoff performance, calling him "an All-Star type of talent."
"I don't even think he's scratched the surface (of his potential)," Ham told reporters at Lakers practice ahead of Game 4 in Los Angeles.
The Lakers will face the winner of the first-round series between the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors, currently tied 3-3.
