Lakers take 3-1 series lead over Warriors behind heroic 4th from Lonnie Walker
LOS ANGELES — The Lakers continued their momentum on Monday with a 104-101 Game 4 win over the Warriors behind a big fourth quarter from Lonnie Walker IV to help gain a 3-1 series lead.
In a back-and-forth ballgame, the Lakers and Warriors' Game 4 fate came down to the wire, with Stephen Curry carrying the load for Golden State and Walker IV rising to the occasion for Los Angeles.
With 15.0 seconds left and a three-point lead, LeBron James and Anthony Davis made the defensive play of the night by taking away a Klay Thompson's three-point opportunity after shutting down a hammer screen with a simple switch. You could see LeBron visibly point to Davis to stay in the corner for the switch. The play resulted in a Golden State turnover and jump ball and ultimately sealed the win for L.A.
Walker IV scored all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter, going 6-for-9 on 66.6% shooting from the field while notching three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 26 minutes off the bench.
“As a kid, this is something I’ve been dreaming of doing, not just being part of the playoffs but impacting it,” said Walker IV.
Lonnie Walker IV was the first Laker to have 15+ points off the bench in the 4th quarter of a playoff game since Kobe Bryant, who scored 17 points on May 8th, 1997, against the Utah Jazz, according to NBA history.
“We don’t win this game without Lonnie Walker tonight,” said LeBron after Walker’s lifting fourth quarter.
The criticism surrounding Davis throughout the playoffs has been defined as inconsistent, from one great game to a non-factor impact in the next. After a 25-and-13 night in Game 3’s win, Davis continued that success with another dominating presence in the paint.
Davis finished with a double-double of 23 points and 15 rebounds while shooting 62.5% from the field on 10-of-16, with three steals and two assists in 43 minutes of action.
Despite struggling to find consistency from the field, going 2-for-9, 22.2%, from three and 10-for-25 (40%) overall, LeBron succeeded in other ways by getting his teammates involved and making the right reads on defense, notching nine rebounds and six assists to go with his team-high 27-point night.
With LeBron and Davis combining for 50 points and Walker IV having an explosive fourth, Austin Reaves' impact was quietly overlooked, scoring his most points in the series. Reaves finished with 21 points, four rebounds, and two assists while shooting 3-for-6 (50%) from three and 7-for-15 (46.6%) overall.
“You still gotta go get one more,” said Reaves. “This series is far from over.”
Game 5 will be on the road in San Francisco on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. on TNT.
