Still undefeated at home in these playoffs, the Lakers have a golden opportunity to break against the defending champions in front of their home crowd and get one game closer to qualifying for the conference finals. Except that the Warriors only rarely miss twice in a row in the playoffs and, after the spanking received on Saturday evening, their reaction is expected in this Game 4.
Unbreathable and indecisive, this meeting kept all its promises and it took until the very last minutes to see it deliver its verdict. Finally, it is the players of Los Angeles who take the best of those of Golden Statenot without suffering (104-101), by managing their “money time” much better after having notably counted up to 12 points behind in the game.
And if Stephen Curry (31 points, 14 assists, 10 rebounds, 3 steals), LeBron James (27 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists), Anthony Davis (23 points, 15 rebounds, 3 steals) or even Austin Reaves (21 points) answered present this night, the hero of the evening is called Lonnie Walker IVauthor of his 15 points in the last quarter to put the reigning champions on the brink of elimination!
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— Lonnie Walker IV, the chef’s surprise. Here is a player who lived up to his family name, because the Lakers guard planted a whopping 15 points in Game 4, all in the fourth quarter! Relaunched in the last match, he was once again used by Darvin Ham, who will certainly not regret his choice to have preferred him to Troy Brown Jr. in the rotation. In confidence, Walker IV does not hesitate to draw at the slightest opening and he allows himself to carry the ball on certain sequences, to better punish a defense which did not expect that from him. A determining contribution of the X factor of the evening.
— Golden State has its back against the wall. Led 3-1 and unable to take an away game, against the Lakers who remain undefeated at home in these playoffs (5-0), the Warriors will now have to repeat the feat of 2016 against the Thunder to hope see the conference final. They will be able to feed regrets from this meeting, since they for example pointed to +12 in the third quarter, before letting Los Angeles come back under the impulse of LeBron James, Austin Reaves then Lonnie Walker IV. Lonely, Stephen Curry could not work a miracle and now the champion is in a mess…
— Gary Payton II, Steve Kerr’s latest adjustment. By betting on the ultra “small ball” with the entry of the hyperactive “GPII” in their five, the Warriors mainly wanted to destabilize the Lakers’ defense – even if it means being punished on the other side because of their deficit in size—keeping Anthony Davis as far away from the painting as possible. In doing so, the teammates of an untenable Stephen Curry on “pick-and-roll” were able to gorge themselves near the circle, limiting the defensive influence of an “AD” who could no longer patrol as usual and distribute the counters (but which was still huge in the “money time” on Curry).
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Stephen Curry. The accuracy with which the Warriors point guard plays in this series, especially when it comes to finding the right offsets for his teammates, is impressive to observe. Admittedly clumsy in shooting (12/30 in shooting, including 3/14 from 3-points), and this is the only criticism that can be made of him, the “Chief” cooked the defense of the Lakers with a crazy ease, responding when his team needed him. A high quality performance, especially in a game so important for the survival of his team in this conference semi-final. But that was not enough…
✅ The Los Angeles Collective. Unlike the Warriors, who relied exclusively on Stephen Curry, the Lakers were able to rely on the contribution of several elements to overcome the defending champions. Namely Anthony Davis in the first half, but also LeBron James throughout the game, without forgetting Austin Reaves from the third quarter or of course Lonnie Walker in the fourth, with Dennis Schröder who also showed great things with his energy. It was far too much for Golden State therefore, weighed down in particular by the discretion of Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole in attack.
⛔ Jordan Poole. In a total crisis of confidence (0 point to 0/4), the sixth man of the Warriors is only a shadow of himself in this series and Steve Kerr no longer hesitates to drag him into his rotation, behind Donte DiVincenzo or Gary Payton II for example, on the back lines. It must be said that Poole, not impeccable in defense because targeted by his opponents, multiplies the bad choices in attack, with in particular a dubious selection of shots. Difficult, under these conditions, to keep him on the floor longer than ten minutes.
⛔ D’Angelo Russell. Among the main barometers of the Lakers in these playoffs, hence Steve Kerr’s desire to stick Gary Payton II on his back to make him work in attack, “D-Lo” was in an evening without (4 points) and the California’s offensive game has therefore clearly been affected. Unable to set the sights on the shot (1/10, including 0/4 at 3-points), the leader of Los Angeles had to give way to Dennis Schröder and Lonnie Walker IV in the fourth quarter, for the success that we know. However, he will have to bounce back quickly, because his 15 point average is vital for the “Purple & Gold”.
THE FOLLOWING
Game 5 in Golden State, on the night of Wednesday to Thursday (04:00).
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D= defensive rebound; T = Total Bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
