Playing in their first elimination game of these playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers pummeled Boston, setting up a winner-take-all Game 7 to determine the NBA champion.
Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 26 points and Pau Gasol had his fourth double-double of the finals as the Lakers defeated Boston 89-67 in Game 6 in Los Angeles Tuesday night.
The rivals will face off Thursday in Los Angeles in Game 7, with the Larry O’Brien Trophy at stake.L.A., which stood by and watched Boston’s bench put together a breakout performance in Game 4, outscored the Celtic reserves 25-13. The Lakers also out-rebounded Boston 52-39.
The Celtics were thoroughly dominated from the second quarter on, scoring the second fewest points in a finals game. And their case wasn’t helped by the first-quarter injury of center Kendrick Perkins, who sustained a knee sprain and did not return after the 5:30 mark of the first period.
The Lakers took their first double-digit lead after scoring seven of the last nine points of the first quarter – on a Ron Artest jumper and 3-pointer and a Gasol basket down low – and never came close to trailing again.
They were making all the hustle plays Boston made in the last two games, highlighted by backup Jordan Farmar sliding at midcourt ahead of the Celtics’ Rajon Rondo to shovel a loose ball ahead to Bryant, who would sink two free throws on the possession.
That play was part of a 19-6 second-quarter run, which included four Lamar Odom points, a Farmar layup in the lane, a Gasol putback out of nowhere, Sasha Vujacic’s 3-pointer, Farmar’s contested slam in transition and a long Artest J. Bryant’s layup gave Los Angeles a 49-27 lead, and the Lakers were up 51-31 at the break.
The second half was mostly organized chaos, showcasing more strong play from the L.A. bench – notably, two thunderous Shannon Brown dunks, the second a one-handed alley-oop finish off Gasol’s pass.
Gasol scored 17 points with 13 rebounds – finishing one assist shy of a triple-double – and Bryant hauled down 11 boards. Artest poured in 15 and Odom grabbed 10 rebounds.
Ray Allen led Boston with 19 points, his highest point total since his record-setting Game 2 performance. Paul Pierce scored 13, Kevin Garnett totaled 12 and Rondo netted 10.
NOTES: The Lakers are 10-1 at home this postseason and have won 30 of their last 34 home playoff contests. … Boston is 3-4 this season in potential close-out games and 0-3 away from home. … Perkins, who went down going up for an offensive rebound, will be re-evaluated Wednesday. … The team leading after the first quarter has won every game in the series. … The Lakers haven’t lost consecutive home playoff games since 2000, when they fell twice to Portland. … Thursday’s game will be just the third finals Game 7 in the last 21 years. … The lowest point output in a finals game was Utah’s 54-point effort in a loss to Chicago in the 1998 finals.
BOX SCORE
Photo above: Los Angeles' Pau Gasol (16) moves down low against Boston's Rasheed Wallace, left, during Game 6. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
Video credit – ESPN on ABC
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