Lonnie Walker’s Big Fourth Quarter Help Lakers In Game 4 Win Over Warriors
The Lakers are one win away from reaching the Western Conference Finals
The Los Angeles Lakers fought back in the fourth quarter to take down the Golden State Warriors, 104-101, in Game 4, strengthening their series lead to 3-1.
Los Angeles, the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, is one win away from reaching the conference finals.
While LeBron James and Anthony Davis played a major role per usual in the Lakers’ victory, Mike Breen said it best when he belted “It’s the Lonnie Walker game!”
That emphatic call into his microphone during the broadcast came after Walker drilled his mid-range jumper to give the Lakers a 100-99 lead with two minutes left to play.
He was hitting clutch buckets throughout the fourth quarter. In fact, all of Walker’s 15 points came in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers come back. He shot 6-of-9 from the field with one three-pointer made and tacked on three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Steph Curry, who finished the game with a triple-double, had two chances to give the Warriors the lead with under one minute to play – usually that works out in the Warriors’ favor.
Though his first mid-range jumper off one foot rattled off the rim, teammate Draymond Green got the rebound and kicked it back out.
Curry wasted no time trying a deep, step-back three-pointer off Davis, and it wasn’t close. Walker got the rebound and was intentionally fouled, where he knocked in his two free throws to move the Lakers’ lead back to three points.
Golden State had one more chance to force overtime with 15 seconds left on the clock, but Green turned the ball over to Davis.
The Warriors were able to tie him up for a jump ball, but Curry threw up the ball in desperation and it went out of bounds.
Making it LA’s ball, and in turn, a Lakers win.
James led the Lakers with 27 points in the win, shooting 10-of-25 with 10 rebounds for a double-double and six assists. It wasn’t the best shooting night for James, but he had the support needed from teammates to get the job done.
Davis had 15 rebounds to lead the Lakers, while having the tough task of guarding Curry. He dropped 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting for an efficient night on offense.
Austin Reaves was also a crucial piece on the offensive side of the ball for the Lakers, scoring 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting with three three-pointers. It was a slow start for him, but after James and Davis spoke to him on the bench, he went off.
Curry’s triple-double came with 31 points for a game-high, 14 assists and 10 rebounds. However, it was a rough shooting night, as he went 12-of-30 from the floor including just 3-of-14 from three.
Gary Payton II had 15 points while Andrew Wiggins had 17 points.
The two California rivals will head back to the Bay Area for Game 5 on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.
