Lakers destroy Heat in Game Six, clinch 2020 NBA title

The Los Angeles Lakers are the NBA champions once more.

Led by the superstar brilliance of LeBron James, the Lakers took the fight out of the Miami Heat early in Game Six, 106-93, in their best-of-seven finals series on Sunday (Monday morning Manila time) to claim their first NBA title in 10 years.

James finished with a triple-double of 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists.

He had ample help from Anthony Davis and the team's supporting crew to put a brilliant finishing touch on a resurgent season that saw a lengthy delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Davis, who joined the team via trade with the New Orleans Hornets prior to the season, added 19 points, 15 rebounds, and two blocks while anchoring a stifling Lakers defense that limited the Heat to just 36 points in the first half.

Former All-Star guard Rajon Rondo added 19 points, while starting wings Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green chipped in 17 and 11, respectively.

But it was the defense that got the job done for the Lakers, which led by 28 points at the half and as much as 36 in the third period.

With his latest title, James won his fourth NBA championship and his first with the Lakers. He previously won two titles with Miami and one with Cleveland before signing with the Los Angeles squad in 2018.

Bam Adebayo had 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Jimmy Butler and Jae Crowder scored 12 each for the Heat, whose Cinderella run at the NBA bubble came to an end. Goran Dragic returned from four games missed with a foot injury, but it wasn't enough for Miami to force a Game 7 after falling behind 3-1 in the series.

The Lakers never trailed, first-year coach Frank Vogel shaking things up from the tip by starting Alex Caruso over Dwight Howard and shifting Davis to center. Caruso had only made two starts all season. The move paid off, as Los Angeles effectively put the game away by outscoring Miami 36-16 in the second quarter.

A 13-0 run in the period, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Caldwell-Pope, had the Lakers up by 30, 64-34, with 49.6 seconds left in the half. The margin was 28 at the break, the second-largest halftime lead in NBA Finals history.

Davis and Caldwell-Pope each had 15 points at the break, and Rondo was a spark off the bench with 13 on 6-of-6 shooting. James had 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the first half. Butler was held to eight points on 3-of-7 shooting, as the Heat shot 34.2 percent from the floor as a team over the first 24 minutes.

Intermission did little to slow down Los Angeles, which led by as much as 36 before finishing the third quarter up 87-58. Ahead 103-86 with 1:27 remaining, James and Davis went to the bench to begin celebrating with teammates. —JST, GMA News with a report from Field Level Media