Darvin Ham celebrated a "great step in the right direction" for the Los Angeles Lakers as they secured their place in the quarterfinals of the NBA's in-season tournament.
Anthony Davis had a double-double of 26 points and 16 rebounds, while LeBron James contributed 17 points to tick over 39,000 for his career, in Tuesday's 131-99 win over the Utah Jazz.
That victory moved the Lakers to 4-0 for the in-season tournament, as they sealed their progression from the group having defeated the Jazz, the Phoenix Suns, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Lakers are now guaranteed a home quarterfinal on either December 4 or 5.
"A great, great step in the right direction in us not only securing anything for the in-season tournament but just us coming together and constantly trying to get better at being together and playing the right way," said coach Ham.
There is plenty on the line in the latter stages of the tournament. Each player who makes it to the semi-final stage is guaranteed $100,000. The players on the team that finishes runner-up will get $200,000 each, while the winning team will be entitled to $500,000 per player.
"It's not a run-of-the-mill regular-season game," Ham added.
"They're well aware. That purse is pretty attractive. Guys like money. Not like it, they love it. That incentive right there, it's huge."
For Davis, a home tie is the biggest bonus first and foremost.
"Being home and able to sleep in our beds, not having to travel, that's always good when you play well at home," he said.
"Kind of a rocky start on the road so this helps us out, having our fans behind us. But it feels good. One step closer to winning the cup."
The Indiana Pacers also booked their place in the last eight, with Tyrese Haliburton scoring 37 points and providing 16 assists in a 157-152 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
"It is exciting," Haliburton said of advancing to the quarterfinals. "We are the first team to clinch, and we are ready to go.
"We have a few more games before the quarterfinals, so we want to take care of what is in front of us first, but we want to win the championship, of course. It would be awesome."
Celtics mindset needed to change after Porzingis injury - Horford
Al Horford said that the Boston Celtics needed to change their mindset after losing Kristaps Porzingis to injury during their convincing Game 4 102-88 victory over the Miami Heat.
The Celtics now have a 3-1 series lead after Derrick White scored a career-high 38 points to edge the top seeds one step closer to the Conference Semifinals.
The win came at a cost though, as Porzingis was forced off with right calf tightness just before the end of the second quarter, but the Celtics rallied to win their sixth straight game in Miami.
Horford replaced Porzingis for the second half and told ESPN that the team had to change their approach after losing a key player.
“All of us, our mindset has to shift," he said.
“I talked to Luke [Kornet] and Xavier [Tillman] and let them know that all of us have to be ready to step up and do a little more because KP was playing so well defensively.
“It’s definitely concerning for me. He's in good spirits, but we don't know what it's going to be. I'm just hoping that it's nothing serious, and he can get back to us quick.”
Bam Adebayo finished with 25 points, 17 rebounds and five assists for Miami, but they struggled on offence once more, with Tyler Herro scoring 19 points and Caleb Martin adding 18.
The Heat coach, Erik Spoelstra, bemoaned his side’s struggles to get more points on the board, saying: “Offensively, we struggled again. We had some decent looks early on, weren't able to knock those down, and Derrick White was very good tonight — obviously. He was just very efficient, very good.
“I know in my heart we have a game that's there. It's just a matter of the ball going in a few more times, and all of a sudden it ignites.”
'I'll support whatever he decides' - Davis backs LeBron James ahead of decision on NBA future
Anthony Davis says he will give LeBron James the space he needs to make the right decision on his NBA future.
The Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in a 4-1 series defeat to the Denver Nuggets, who won Game 5 108-106 on Monday.
James led the Lakers with 30 points and 11 assists and hit a pair of free throws to tie the game in the final 30 seconds.
But with 3.6 seconds remaining, Jamal Murray, who was playing through a calf strain, hit a pull-up 14-footer to condemn the Lakers to an early exit.
After the game, James said that “he does not have an answer” on his NBA future after 21 years in the league.
However, Davis is confident that James will take his time over the decision, make the correct call for himself and tell everyone else when the time is right.
“I mean, he has been in this position numerous times in his career, where he had to make a decision ultimately for himself and his family. I'll be right there supporting whatever he decides to do,” Davis told ESPN.
“It's still fresh. I mean, I'm pretty sure it's not even on his mind right now.
"But I'm pretty sure he'll come talk to me, tell me what's going on before he becomes public with the situation, just to keep me in the loop.
“Obviously, it's been a great five seasons with him. If he does decide to come back, obviously this isn't what we want to be left at, losing in the first round.
"If he does, obviously our goal is to come back and be a championship contender, stay healthy and give Laker Nation what they deserve."
The Nuggets swept the Lakers in the Western Conference finals last year, with their late-game execution proving to be the difference once again in this series.
Murray, who also hit a buzzer-beater to win Game 2, was advised to sit the game out by management due to his calf injury but proved decisive as he scored 12 of his 32 points in a fourth quarter in which the teams repeatedly traded leads.
Asked if he had debated sitting the game out, Murray said: "I came in a little earlier to see if I was going to be able to go, and I felt like I could.
"They [management] just didn't want me to risk it. They told me no.
"And I didn't say no. I didn't want to leave my teammates out there. We've been battling all season.
"Everybody's hurt at some point, everybody's going through something, and I just wouldn't be able to live with myself if I wasn't able to play this game.
"I'm just glad they listened to me - and listened to me listening to my body - and just trusting me with it."
Nikola Jokic finished with 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists, while Michael Porter Jr. concluded his impressive series with a 26-point performance for Denver.
Davis had 17 points and 15 rebounds for Los Angeles but was not involved much in the offence late while playing through a shoulder injury.
The Nuggets will continue their championship defence with a second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who advanced on Sunday by completing a sweep of the Phoenix Suns.
Denver eliminated Minnesota in the first round of last year’s playoffs with a five-game series win.
LeBron James undecided on NBA future after Lakers elimination
LeBron James says he "does not have an answer" on his NBA future after the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in their first-round playoff series.
The Nuggets emerged triumphant with a 4-1 series win after beating the Lakers 108-106 in an entertaining Game 5 on Monday.
Despite playing through a calf strain, Jamal Murray hit a pull-up 14-footer with 3.6 seconds remaining of a game which saw the two teams repeatedly trade leads.
LeBron hit a pair of free throws to tie the game with 26 seconds left to give the Lakers hope, but Murray drove to his left and pulled up for the go-ahead jumper over Austin Reaves.
After the painful narrow loss, LeBron was asked how he would approach any decision about Year 22 in the NBA.
"I do not have an answer to be honest, I have not given it much thought," he said, per ESPN.
"We will cross that when we need to. [I will evaluate] what's best for my career."
Asked if the Nuggets game was likely to be his last in a Lakers jersey, the 39-year-old replied: "I'm not going to answer that."
This was the earliest playoff exit in James' 17 postseason trips. The only other time he was eliminated in the first round was 2021, in a six-game loss to the Phoenix Suns.
"Tip your hat to them," James said about Denver. "Defending champions, they are a great team. Super-well coached and made the plays down the stretch to win the series.
"You give credit where credit is due, that is for sure."
Much like last year, when the Nuggets swept the Lakers in the Western Conference finals, Denver’s late-game execution proved to be the difference.
Nikola Jokic finished with 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists, while Michael Porter Jr. concluded his impressive series with a 26-point performance.
James led the Lakers with 30 points and 11 assists. Anthony Davis had 17 points and 15 rebounds but was not involved much in the offence late while playing through a shoulder injury.
LeBron has the option to enter the final year of his contract with the Lakers or he could become a free agent.
Also facing an uncertain future after the first-round exit is head coach Darvin Ham, who has been with the team for two years.
Ham, who is now on the hot seat, hopes the defeat will make him a better coach in the long run.
"My mind's all over the place right now," he said. "It's been a hell of a two years, though, I'll tell you that. Sitting in this seat, it's been a hell of a two years.
"A lot of good things that got done, but ultimately, you want to win that ultimate prize. I know what that feels like. I had that feeling a couple of times.
"So, you want to do everything in your power to prevent and not continue to feel this feeling we're feeling now, the feeling of defeat. So again, control what I can control, continue to grow and hopefully be a better coach for it.
"I couldn’t be more proud of our crew despite everything that happened.
"Obviously, the series didn’t go in our favor, it didn’t start the way we wanted it to, but to win that one at home, fight tooth and nail to get this one, our guys showed a lot of guts and a lot of character."
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