FSM Essential Recap: Lakers vs Warriors - Game 4 - 2023

FSM Essential Recap: Lakers vs Warriors – Game 4 – 2023

Franchise Sports Media

Los Angeles Lakers (43-39) | Golden State Warriors (44-38)

 

The Los Angeles Lakers are one win away from the Western Conference Finals after defeating the Golden State Warriors 104-101, taking a 3-1 series lead.

The Lakers vs Warriors played at the Crypto.com Arena on Monday.

Lonnie Walker IV took over in the fourth quarter, driving the Los Angeles Lakers to a 104-101 victory over the Golden State Warriors to take a 3-1 series lead. Walker gave the Lakers huge minutes and scored all 15 of his points in the fourth. Walker also didn’t take a shot in the first three quarters.

“He’s a beautiful kid. He fell out of the rotation through no fault of his own,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said of Walker. “But he remained a trooper, remained professional, high-spirited and positive and really kept working on his game. Kudos to him.”

Walker started for the Lakers earlier this season and had some solid minutes. However, he saw his playing time go down after the trade deadline and had fallen out of the rotation in the playoffs, as he only played a total of 16 minutes against the Memphis Grizzlies. 

“It’s not going to be all flowers, lollipops, and good,” Walker said. “There are going to be hard times, and that’s just God’s ultimate test to make you learn something in order to get to your goals.”

Lonnie Walker IV came up big in this one

Walker became the first Laker to have 15+ points off the bench in the fourth quarter of a playoff game since Kobe Bryant did it back in 1997.

The start of the Lakers vs Warriors’ first half. 

“It’s the greatest feeling you could ever imagine,” Walker said. “As a kid, this is something I’ve been dreaming of.”

Walker hit the go-ahead jumper with 1:53 to play. Stephen Curry’s layup with 1:05 left trimmed the Lakers’ lead to one point, however, Curry missed a long jumper and a 3-point attempt on Golden State’s next possession before Walker made two free throws with 15 seconds left, and Los Angeles got one last defensive stop to seal it.

“We don’t win this game tonight without Lonnie Walker, that’s for sure,” James said. “As hard as this game was, it’s going to be even harder. We understand that. We know that.”

LeBron James performed like his usual self, totaling 27 points (10-of-25 FGs, 2-for-9 3s, 5-of-5 FTs), nine rebounds, and six assists.

“When it’s money time and he’s in that mode, it’s special,” Ham said of James. “There’s not too many guys in the history of the league that can not only perform well but also help their teammates to put us in the best position.”

Anthony Davis played his role, finishing with 23 points (10-of-16 FGs), 15 rebounds, and three steals.

The end of the Lakers vs Warriors’ first half. 

“He’s the best defensive player in the league,” James said of Davis. “I think the league knows it as well.”

The start of the Lakers vs Warriors’ second half. 

Los Angeles trailed 99-96 with just 3:01 left to play, however, they held Golden State to just two points for the rest of the game, while managing to score eight and win 104-101. The key to all the stops was Davis, playing the best defense he possibly could.

Austin Reaves had 21 points (7-of-15 FGs, 3-for-6 3s) and four assists. Dennis Schroder had an underrated game, who was a game-best +14, and a key counter to Golden State’s smaller lineup.

Stephen Curry is now 12th on the all-time playoff scoring list after posting his third career postseason triple-double, with 31 points (12-of-30 FGs, 3-for-14 3s), 10 rebounds, 14 assists, and three steals. 

Klay Thompson was 2-for-8 in the game before hitting a go-ahead 3 with three minutes left. Thompson finished with just nine points (3-of-11 FGs, 3-for-9 3s) and five rebounds.

Golden State made a savvy adjustment to their starting lineup, as Gary Payton II did make things more difficult on the Lakers in the half court, pulling Davis away from the paint defensively, and the Warriors capitalized with a quick 5-0 run with Los Angeles trying to buy Davis a bit of early rest. 

Los Angeles led by just one at 22-21 after 12 minutes of a physical, defensive first quarter. The Lakers shot 35 percent, while the Warriors shot 40 percent, with each team committing three turnovers.

The final score of the Lakers vs Warriors was 127-97, Lakers.

The Lakers will now take on the Warriors on Wednesday, May 10th, at 7:00 p.m. PT.

 

– Jake Ideguchi-Furukawa – Franchise Sports Media

Follow Jake on Twitter @jguchi_

Follow Jake on Instagram @jguchi_

Follow The Franchise on social media

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube