May 09, (THEWILL) – The Los Angeles Lakers took a 3-1 series lead against the Golden State Warriors after a 104-101 victory in Game 4 of the Western Conference semi-finals.
Lakers All-Star, LeBron James, led the way with 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while Warriors All-Star, Stephen Curry, recorded his third playoff triple-double with 31 points, 14 assists, 10 rebounds and three steals. Los Angeles guard, Lonnie Walker IV, who had fallen out of the rotation after the trade deadline, scored a playoff career-high 15 points, all in the fourth quarter, to help keep the Lakers’ offense alive.
The Lakers’ strategy of drawing switches from Curry by having him defend whichever player James was screening for proved successful in the fourth quarter. The Warriors attempted to pre-switch to counter, but James’ persistence and patience led to Curry eventually switching onto him. The results were often James baskets, Curry fouls, or kick-out passes to Walker, Austin Reaves and Dennis Schroder.
Despite trailing a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Lakers took control and held on for the win as Thompson and Curry missed key shots in the final minutes. With the next game at the Warriors’ home arena, the Curry and his teammates will look to deliver a powerful punch back and extend the series.
While the Lakers seem to have the advantage, the Warriors have faced a similar situation before and came out on top. The task may seem impossible, given the age of the core and the team’s flawed depth, but it is not entirely out of reach.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
