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Warriors vs. Lakers Game 6 on ESPN did big TV ratings

Game 6 of the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors NBA Western Conference Semifinals series on ESPN was the most-watched Conference Semifinals game broadcast in 12 years (since 2011), according to Nielsen.

The ESPN broadcast delivered an average of 8,640,000 viewers, peaking with 9,295,000 viewers at 11 p.m. ET. This was the most-watched program of the day for May 12 across all of television and in all key demographics.

The Game 6 viewership was up 38 percent from last year’s comparable game – Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies – which averaged 6,282,000 viewers.

2023 NBA Conference Finals series schedules

Eastern Conference

Boston Celtics (2) vs. Miami Heat (8)

* if necessary

Western Conference

Denver Nuggets (1) vs. L.A. Lakers (7)

* if necessary

Warriors against Lakers is a fascinating playoff matchup

Via the OC Register:

Who could possibly have seen this coming, even as late as a couple of months ago?

The best, most interesting and maybe most competitive series in the second round of the NBA playoffs tips off Tuesday night and it involves the 6 and 7 seeds in the Western Conference – not just any 6 and 7 seeds, of course, but the Lakers and Golden State Warriors, winners of five of the NBA’s last nine championships, including the most recent.

It is absolutely not surprising that ABC wanted Game 3 of this series for its Saturday evening (5:30 PDT) showcase. Say what you want about the other conference semifinal matchups – and Knicks-Heat and Celtics-76ers each have plenty of juice, while Denver-Phoenix features the best regular-season team still standing in the Nuggets and two of the game’s brightest stars in two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Suns’ Kevin Durant.

But this series has Bron and Steph. In a league where superstars move the needle to a degree not seen in any other sport, and often are recognizable on a first-name basis, LeBron James and Steph Curry are quite the starting point.

FULL ARTICLE

Lakers sign Shaquille Harrison and Tristan Thompson, waive Davon Reed

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Shaquille Harrison and center Tristan Thompson.

And in a related move, the Lakers requested waivers on forward Davon Reed.

Harrison (6’4”, 195) most recently played for the Portland Trail Blazers after signing a 10-day contract with the team on March 30. In five appearances with the Trail Blazers, he averaged 8.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.2 steals in 24.0 minutes. In 180 career games (23 starts) across six NBA seasons with the Trail Blazers (2022-23), Nets (2021-22), Nuggets (2020-21), Jazz (2020-21), Bulls (2018-20) and Suns (2017-18), Harrison has averaged 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 15.4 minutes per game. The 29-year-old has played in nine career playoff games with the Nuggets (2020-21), averaging 1.0 points in 4.5 minutes. The 2021-22 NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year appeared in 32 regular season games (all starts) for the South Bay Lakers this season, averaging 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 2.1 steals in 32.5 minutes per game and was the only player in the NBA G League this season to be in the top five in both assists and steals per game.

Thompson (6’9”, 254) has appeared in 730 career games (478 starts) across 11 seasons with the Bulls (2021-22), Pacers (2021-22), Kings (2021-22), Celtics (2020-21) and Cavaliers (2011-20), averaging 9.0 points (.519 FG%), 8.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 26.8 minutes. The 2016 NBA Champion has played in 88 career playoff games (70 starts) with the Bulls (2021-22), Celtics (2020-21) and Cavaliers (2014-18), averaging 7.4 points and 8.2 rebounds while shooting 56.4 percent from the field. Thompson most recently appeared in 57 games (six starts) for Chicago, Indiana and Sacramento during the 2021-22 season, where he averaged 6.0 points and 5.1 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game. Thompson has recorded 185 double-doubles throughout his career and has shot over 50 percent from the field in his previous eight seasons.

Reed appeared in eight games for the Lakers this season, averaging 1.0 points in 3.4 minutes per game. The 27-year-old was acquired by Los Angeles on Feb. 9.

LeBron James returns, but Lakers lose to Bulls

LeBron James made his return to action today, but the results for the Lakers weren’t good. Via the LA Times:

Yet Sunday, the surprise return, in part, translated into a turnover-riddled mess with no real purpose in a 118-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls.

Players inside the Lakers’ locker room didn’t find out James would be back until after his pregame workout Sunday, the type of addition that does so much good long term while throwing the short term into a bit of chaos.

He came off the bench for just the second time in his career, joining the Lakers for their final eight games of the season.

In his return, James scored 19 points. Troy Brown Jr. and Malik Beasley each had 18, while Dennis Schroder contributed 17 and Austin Reaves 13.

Anthony Davis scored 15 points and shot six for eight from the field — Beasley, Brown, James, Reaves and Schroder all attempting more shots.

The Lakers turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 34 Chicago points.

FULL ARTICLE

Utah Jazz waive Russell Westbrook

The Utah Jazz have waived guard Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook (6-3, 200, UCLA) was acquired via trade on Feb. 10, 2023. In his 15th NBA season, he is averaging 15.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists in 28.7 minutes per game.

Per the Salt Lake Tribune, “the nine-time All-Star will instead finalize a buyout with Utah and sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, ESPN reported Monday. The Jazz were set to owe Westbrook $16 million if he played, but this buyout figures to lower that figure.”

More from the Tribune: “The team is expected to give guards Collin Sexton and Talen Horton-Tucker an extended evaluation period to see if they can become pieces of a contending roster.”

Magic, Lakers, Nuggets and Clippers complete 4-team trade

The Orlando Magic have acquired guard Patrick Beverley and cash considerations from the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as a future second round draft pick (2024 selection) from the Denver Nuggets, as part of a four-team trade also involving the L.A. Clippers, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today. Orlando sends center Mo Bamba to the L.A. Lakers as part of the deal.

The Magic are not requiring Patrick Beverley to report.

Other details of the trade are as follows: Denver acquires Thomas Bryant from the L.A. Lakers, the L.A. Clippers acquire Bones Hyland from Denver, and the L.A. Lakers acquire Bamba from Orlando, Davon Reed from Denver, as well as two future second round draft picks (2024 and 2025 selections) from the L.A. Clippers.

Bamba (7’0”, 230, 5/12/98) has played in 40 games (six starts) this season with Orlando, averaging 7.3 ppg., 4.6 rpg. and 1.1 apg. in 17.0 minpg., while shooting .398 (43-108) from three-point range. He ranks 29th in the NBA in blocked shots (0.95 blkpg.).

Originally selected in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2018 NBA Draft by Orlando, Bamba has played in 266 career NBA regular season games (81 starts), all with the Magic, averaging 7.7 ppg., 5.8 rpg. and 1.37 blkpg. in 18.3 minpg.

Beverley (6’2”, 180, 7/12/88) has played and started in 45 games this season with the L.A. Lakers, averaging 6.4 ppg., 3.1 rpg. and 2.6 apg. in 26.9 minpg. He scored in double figures nine times, including a season-high 18 points on Jan. 25 @ San Antonio.

Originally selected in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft by the L.A. Lakers, Beverley has played in 571 career NBA regular season games (483 starts) with Houston, the L.A. Clippers, Minnesota and the L.A. Lakers, averaging 8.7 ppg., 4.2 rpg., 3.4 apg. and 1.12 stlpg. in 27.4 minpg.

Three-team trade sends D’Angelo Russell to Lakers, Russell Westbrook to Jazz

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired via trade guard D’Angelo Russell from the Minnesota Timberwolves and guard Malik Beasley and forward Jarred Vanderbilt from the Utah Jazz, it was announced today by Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka.

In the trade, the Lakers sent guard Russell Westbrook, forward Juan Toscano-Anderson, center Damian Jones and a protected first-round pick to Utah and a future second-round pick to Minnesota.

“We are thrilled to add D’Angelo, Malik and Jarred to our organization and are confident their talents will boost our ability to finish the season strongly,” said Pelinka. “In this trade, we’ve added switchable wing defending, perimeter shooting and rebounding depth. We welcome D’Angelo back to the Lakers family and look forward to him donning the purple and gold in front of our passionate fan base once again. We certainly want to thank Russell, Juan and Damian for their time here in Los Angeles and wish them and their families nothing but success moving forward.”

Russell (6’4”, 200) has appeared in 54 games (all starts) for Minnesota this season, averaging 17.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 32.9 minutes per game, shooting a career-best 39.1 percent from 3-point range. In 478 career NBA games (414 starts) across eight seasons with the Timberwolves (2019-23), Warriors (2019-20), Nets (2017-19) and Lakers (2015-17), the 2019 NBA All-Star has averaged 17.7 points (.360 3P%), 3.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 29.8 minutes. The 26-year-old has played in 11 career playoff games (all starts) with the Timberwolves (2021-22) and Nets (2018-19), averaging 15.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals in 31.3 minutes per game. Russell was drafted by the Lakers with the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft out of Ohio State and returns to Los Angeles after averaging 14.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 143 games (108 starts) from 2015-17.

Beasley (6’4”, 187) has played 55 games (13 starts) for Utah this season, averaging 13.4 points (.359 3P%), 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 26.8 minutes per game. In 391 career games (100 starts) across seven seasons with the Jazz (2022-23), Timberwolves (2019-22) and Nuggets (2016-20), Beasley has averaged 10.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 21.7 minutes, shooting 38.0 percent from beyond the arc. In 20 career playoff games for the Timberwolves (2021-22) and Nuggets (2018-19), the 26-year-old has averaged 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game. The Florida State alum leads all bench players with 129 3-pointers made this season, and his 169 total triples ranks seventh among all players.

Vanderbilt (6’8”, 214) has appeared in 52 games (41 starts) for Utah this season, averaging 8.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 24.1 minutes per game. In 218 career games (138 starts) across five seasons with the Jazz (2022-23), Timberwolves (2019-22) and Nuggets (2018-20), Vanderbilt has averaged 6.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 20.1 minutes, while shooting 58.0 percent from the field. The 23-year-old has played nine playoff games (six starts) with the Timberwolves (2021-22) and Nuggets (2018-19), averaging 3.7 points and 4.9 rebounds in 14.9 minutes.

In 52 games (three starts) for the Lakers this season, Westbrook averaged 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 28.7 minutes. Toscano-Anderson averaged 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game in 30 contests (seven starts) for the Lakers this season. Jones suited up in 22 games (one start) for the purple and gold in 2022-23, averaging 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 8.0 minutes per contest.

Wizards trade Rui Hachimura to Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired forward Rui Hachimura in a trade with the Washington Wizards for guard Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks, it was announced today by Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka.

The Wizards acquired Nunn, a 2023 second round pick (via Chicago), the less favorable of the 2028 second round picks of Los Angeles and Washington and Los Angeles’ own 2029 second round pick from the Lakers. Washington also generates a trade exception in the exchange.

“We are excited to welcome Rui and his family to the Los Angeles Lakers,” said Pelinka. “Adding both size and depth to the wing position has been a goal, and the chance to accomplish that by acquiring a player with Rui’s two-way skills and upside was an opportunity that doesn’t present itself often. We want to thank Kendrick Nunn and his family for his time as a Laker, and we wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

Hachimura (6’8”, 230) has appeared in 30 games for Washington this season, averaging 13.0 points (.488 FG%, .337 3P%), 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 24.3 minutes per game. In 177 career NBA games (118 starts) across four seasons (2019-23) with the Wizards, the 24-year-old has averaged 13.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 27.8 minutes, shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from 3-point range. Hachimura, who received All-Rookie Second Team honors in 2020, has played in five career playoff games (all starts) with the Wizards, averaging 14.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 34.6 minutes per game.

The Japan native was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft after a three-year collegiate career (2016-19) at Gonzaga University. In his final season as a junior, Hachimura appeared in 37 games and averaged 19.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 30.2 minutes per contest on his way to being named a consensus First Team All-American.

“Kendrick has shown the ability to be a solid perimeter threat who can provide instant offense as a reserve,” said Wizards President Tommy Sheppard. “He has proven to be a valuable contributor during his young career, most notably as key role player helping Miami make a run to the Finals.”

Nunn, a 6-3 guard in his third NBA season, holds career averages of 13.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 162 games with the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. He has appeared in 39 games (two starts) this season in Los Angeles, averaging 6.7 points per game. Nunn had appeared in every game for the Lakers during the month of January, scoring a season-high 23 points in a win over Atlanta on January 6 and averaging 10.5 points on .474 shooting from the field in 18.3 minutes per game.

Nunn was selected as a member of the 2019-20 All-Rookie First Team while with Miami after averaging 15.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, helping Miami to an NBA Finals appearance in the NBA Bubble. The Chicago native followed his rookie campaign by averaging 14.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in 2020-21 with Miami before missing the entire 2021-22 campaign with a right knee bone bruise.

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Lakers must currently play mistake-free basketball, says LeBron James

Via ESPN.com:

The Sacramento Kings ended Wednesday night’s game on an 8-3 run in the final minute to beat the Lakers 116-111, handing L.A. its third loss in the past week by a total of 10 points.

Afterward, LeBron James said the Lakers have “zero room for error” given the injuries the team is dealing with.

“We are limited with bodies,” James said. “So until some of our big guys or some of our key guys get back … we got to continue to play how we’ve played the last couple games. Play mistake-free basketball.”

James led L.A. with 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds and was on the floor more than any other Laker — logging 36 minutes, 30 seconds of playing time.