LOS ANGELES-- Would this finally be the video game when Anthony Davis abandoned his playoff practice of sizzling one video game and dropping the next? Would there be a repeat of LeBron James' heroics in Game 4 of the Lakers' first-round triumph over the
Memphis Grizzlies? Would they include Steph Curry and Klay Thompson?
Yes.
Yes and no.
No and yes.
The Lakers and Golden State Warriors addressed those and many other questions during Game 4 of their second-round playoff series on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. By the end of the game, something was certain: Nothing was specific about a series that has included wild swings of momentum and emotion.
The teams produced a nail-biter, a nerve-jangling thriller for Game 4 after each group won in a runaway in the previous 2 video games. In the end, backup guard Lonnie Walker IV helped the Lakers wrestle a 104-101 success from the Warriors and take a commanding 3-1 series lead on the defending NBA champs.
Game 5 is Wednesday at Chase.
Buckle up.
The winner of the Lakers-Warriors series proceeds to face either the
Denver Nuggets or
Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference finals. The Nuggets-Suns series is connected at 2 triumphes each, with each team winning twice on its house floor. Video game 5 is Tuesday in
Denver.
Walker scored 15 points, including two totally free throws with 15 seconds staying to assist rally the Lakers from a 12-point deficit in the 3rd quarter to their eighth successive home success since March. Routing 104-101, the Warriors never got a shot off, losing belongings after Curry lost it out of bounds with 1.7 seconds left.
James led the Lakers with 27 points, Davis had 23 points and 15 rebounds and
Austin Reaves included 21. Curry had a 31-point triple-double (14 helps, 10 rebounds), however he missed 2 hurried 3-point attempts prior to the Warriors fouled Walker with 15 seconds staying. Walker sank both to offer the Lakers a 104-101 lead that held up.
Thompson had 9 points on 3-for-11 shooting.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr continued to change his starting lineup, moving Gary Payton II into the forward area occupied by JaMychal Green for Games 2 and 3 after Kevon Looney began in Game 1. Lakers coach Darvin Ham stuck with the exact same beginners he's played throughout the playoffs.
Highlighting the notion that each championship game is its own entity, there was zero carry over from D'Angelo Russell's sizzling start to Game 3 in Game 4. Russell scored the Lakers' first 11 points and 13 of their very first 15 en route to 21 points in their victory Saturday over the Warriors.
Russell had 4 points on 1-for-8 shooting in the very first half Monday.
He wasn't alone in misfiring.
Thompson had only 3 points on 1-for-5 shooting by halftime, however Golden State still led 52-49. Thompson and Curry had only three points each by the end of the very first quarter, when the Warriors made just 3 of 12 from 3-point variety and trailed the-less-than scalding Lakers by 22-21.
The Lakers made just 8 of 23 shots in the first quarter.
Davis led the Lakers with 19 points by halftime, getting into the offensive flooring right from the opening belongings. He was coming off a video game in which he was dominant at both ends of the floor, scoring 25 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, handing out 3 assists and obstructing four shots.
Payton sparked an 11-0 run for the Warriors in the 3rd quarter, turning a 59-57 deficit into a 68-59 lead that they kept through the end of the period. Golden State addressed several Lakers runs late in the third quarter and took a hard-earned 84-77 lead into the 4th.
Davis, James and Curry each scored 21 points through 3 quarters.
More to come on this story.
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