THE ANGELS-, Los Golden State Warriors de Stephen Currythe most dominant team of the last decade in the NBA, were eliminated this Tuesday after falling 118-94 to the Sacramento Kings in the playoff playoff, while LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers They ensured their presence in the playoffs.
James, 39, led the Lakers in a tight 110-106 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans and will meet again in the first round with Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets, his executioner in last year’s playoffs.
If ‘King James’ will continue in the fight for his fifth ring, Stephen Curry will not be able to do the same after Golden State’s overwhelming and painful defeat on the Kings’ court.
Curry, who finished with 22 points, did not have the magic of his best nights and ended up being infected by the gray performance of his teammates, especially his eternal partner, Klay Thompson, who missed his 10 shots to finish with 0 points.
Golden State, which finished in tenth place in the Western Conference in the regular phase, was forced to win to advance to the second playoff game on Friday against the Pelicans, where the last playoff berth in the sector will be at stake.
The Warriors’ defeat brings to a close an unfortunate season in which they suffered the tragic death of their assistant coach Dejan Milojevic in January due to a heart attack.
The elimination may also have consequences for the continuity of the core that makes up Curry, 36, with Thompson and Draymond Green, both 34.
Together with the coach, Steve Kerr, these three players are the pillars of the dynasty that gave the San Francisco franchise four rings (2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022).
The biggest doubts hang over Thompson, who ends his contract this year with the Warriors.
“It’s too early to even start that (discussing the team’s future). We invested so much in the season and so many things happened…” Kerr said at the press conference. “What happens this offseason we’ll deal with later.”
“That’s life. That’s how it works. You can’t stay on top forever,” he said.
Kerr recognized the Kings as fair winners and said they exerted “total domination.”
With the support of their fans, Sacramento dominated from the beginning under the guidance of De’Aaron Fox, who scored 24 points, and a stellar night from their young center Keegan Murray, who riddled the Warriors with 32 points and 8 triples.
Rematch against Nuggets
For their part, the Lakers qualified for the playoffs this Tuesday with a tight 110-106 on the court of the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Los Angeles team, which will be the seventh seed in the West, will face a new duel from Saturday with a hunger for revenge against the Denver Nuggets (2nd) in the first round.
In the playoffs a year ago, Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets swept the Lakers 4-0 in the Western Finals on their way to the first ring in their history.
LeBron James will play his 17th playoffs in his 21 seasons in the league in this way.
Since his arrival in the NBA in 2003, ‘King James’ was only left out of the playoffs in his first two seasons, when he was a member of the Cavaliers, and in another two with the Lakers (2019 and 2022).
This Tuesday the forward achieved 23 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists but, exhausted in the final stretch, he left the spotlight to Anthony Davis (20 points and 15 rebounds) and D’Angelo Russell (21 points and 6 assists).
Between all of them, they managed to neutralize the exhibition of Zion Williamson, who shone with 40 points and 11 rebounds and commanded a comeback from an 18-point deficit with which the Pelicans forced a tight finish.
In a decisive misfortune, Williamson apparently hurt himself on a dunk that tied the game at 95 with three minutes left and retreated to the locker room as the stunned Smoothie King Center fans looked on. His coach, Willie Green, later attributed his star’s departure to pain in his left leg.
The Lakers took advantage of the absence of Williamson, an unstoppable force in the paint with his 129 kilos and unprecedented speed, to certify the victory with a triple by Russell with 51 seconds remaining and several offensive rebounds and free throws by Davis against his former team.
Picsart_24-04-01_17-24-58-898.jpg
AP/John Munson
Source: AFP
