The Los Angeles Lakers came into Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals looking to take a 3-1 series lead over the Golden State Warriors.
If someone were to say the Lakers were going to win, one would expect LeBron James or Anthony Davis to lead the way. If not, perhaps one would guess that D’Angelo Russell would’ve had another big game, or that Rui Hachimura would have gotten hot off the bench.
But who would’ve expected Lonnie Walker IV to be the hero?
The reserve guard, who had fallen out of head coach Darvin Ham’s rotation late in the season following the team’s big trades, led L.A. to a 104-101 win, and it was seemingly a Hollywood-style story.
The game went back and forth, as both squads jockeyed for control of the series in this crucial game. Down the stretch, it was the defending NBA champion Warriors, and not the inexperienced Lakers, who fell apart.
The Warriors committed a series of turnovers and miscues that practically handed the game to Los Angeles. Stephen Curry tried to rescue them with a virtuoso 31-point triple-double, but he flamed out in crunch time.
The Lakers truly showed their mettle and resourcefulness in this one, and now they will have three chances to knock the Warriors out of the playoffs.
Anthony Davis: A
For the first time in these playoffs, Davis had a second consecutive game with at least 20 points. From the start, he was engaged and aggressive once again, looking to attack the basket off the dribble rather than settle for jumpers.
He scored 19 points in the first half, but for some reason, the Lakers stop looking to him in the second half. He finished the contest with 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field, 15 rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Davis didn’t block a single shot in this game, which is a rarity for him. The big adjustment the Warriors made was to have whomever Davis guarded be the screener on the pick-and-roll, and it led to him being away from the paint defensively quite often.
But he shined big time on Golden State’s second-to-last offensive possession. Down by three, it looked to Curry, but Davis stayed right on him and leveled him off. Curry missed an 18-footer, and after Draymond Green got the offensive rebound, Curry had another crack at it, but he attempted a long 3-pointer that missed.
That’s what makes Davis special — not just his ability to protect the rim, but also his ability to effectively guard players at different positions anywhere on the court.
Jarred Vanderbilt: D-plus/C-minus
Vanderbilt was ineffective in this one, scoring just two points on free throws, missing his lone shot attempt and getting three rebounds. Defensive, he didn’t seem to have much of an impact either.
After he committed a charging foul with 7:16 left in the third quarter, Dennis Schroder came in for him, and he didn’t see the court again.
LeBron James: B-minus/B
James played this game in spurts, and it was a desultory effort from him. He played well in the first quarter and for part of the second quarter, and he looked to post up early and often.
However, after the Lakers made a 10-0 run early in the third quarter to regain the lead, James contributed to a subsequent spurt by Golden State by missing two ill-advised shots and committing a turnover. He ended the period 4-of-11 from the field after going 5-of-11 in the first half.
For the game, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer was 10-of-25 from the field and 2-of-9 from 3-point range, giving him 27 points plus nine rebounds and six assists.
D'Angelo Russell: D
Russell had one of his worst playoff performances just two days after he was red-hot for much of Game 3. He missed all but one of his 10 shot attempts and all four of his 3-point attempts. His only positive contributions were four rebounds and three assists.
Austin Reaves: A
The Lakers were able to get away with such a bad game from Russell because Reaves stepped things up. He has struggled with his shooting since midway through the previous round against the Memphis Grizzlies, and in Game 4 versus Golden State, it looked like those struggles would continue as he missed six of his first eight shots.
But Reaves got hot the rest of the way, as he found a way to get into the pocket of Golden State’s defense and get some good looks from mid-range. He finished with 21 points on 7-of-15 overall shooting, 3-of-6 from downtown and 4-of-4 from the free throw line, to go along with four assists, two rebounds and one steal.
Rui Hachimura: D
When Hachimura has played well in these playoffs, he has played extremely well. But it has been feast or famine. His off nights have been rather weak. On Monday he attempted only one shot, which he missed, and scored just two points on free throws while adding three rebounds in 14 minutes.
Dennis Schroder: B/B-plus
Schroder had a couple of miscues on pass attempts, but overall he got the job done well. He scored 10 points on 5-of-9 from the field while adding three assists, three rebounds and one steal.
He also played some relatively effective defense on Curry at times, and his overall hustle and grit is a big asset for L.A.
Lonnie Walker IV: A-plus
Walker picked the best time to have his first strong game in what has seemed like forever.
He received playing time in garbage time of Game 2, where he proved he can still be effective, and in Game 3 he provided some effective minutes.
Walker didn’t score in Game 4 until the opening minutes of the fourth quarter when he hit a 3-pointer to bring the Lakers within four points. He hit his first four shots of the period, and overall he went 6-of-9. All of his shot attempts came in the final period.
He hit two huge free throws with 15 seconds remaining to provide the final margin of victory, giving him 15 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Perhaps it is safe to say he has played his way back into his team’s rotation.
Wenyen Gabriel: Incomplete
Gabriel played just two minutes in Game 4, and he made no contribution on the stat sheet.
