Golden State Warriors collapse to 3-1 deficit at hands of Laker role players

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 06: Lonnie Walker IV #4 of the Los Angeles Lakers takes a shot against the Golden State Warriors during the second half in game three of the Western Conference Semifinal Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 06, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 06: Lonnie Walker IV #4 of the Los Angeles Lakers takes a shot against the Golden State Warriors during the second half in game three of the Western Conference Semifinal Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 06, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors are on the brink of playoff elimination, finding themselves down 3-1 to the Los Angeles Lakers after a disastrous fourth-quarter that may have nearly shut the door on their season.

The defending champions held a 12-point lead in the third-quarter, and took a seven-point advantage to the fourth, yet fell 104-101 at the hands of a stagnant offense and none other than Lonnie Walker IV.

Lonnie Walker IV had 15 fourth-quarter points to slam the Golden State Warriors into a 3-1 hole after Game 4 at Crypto.com Arena.

The Warriors came out with a productive tactic in Game 4, starting Gary Payton II and having him player as the roller in a much heavier pick-and-roll offense. It was designed to pull Anthony Davis out of the paint and remove his presence at the rim, a ploy that largely worked as Stephen Curry controlled and picked apart the Laker defense.

Curry had 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a hard-fought first-half, with Golden State holding a 52-49 lead in the low-scoring affair. Davis may have been less of a presence on the defensive end, but he still carried the load on offense for Los Angeles with 19 points.

The second-half was all about a swing of momentum as the Warriors threatened but never truly built a game-defining lead. The Lakers quickly erased the seven-point deficit within the first 90 seconds, leading to a back-and-forth as neither team led by more than four once over the final ten minutes.

Golden State just didn’t have enough offense around Curry in the fourth, with the two-time MVP scoring ten of his team’s paltry 17 points over the final 12 minutes. Klay Thompson had a late corner three to give the Warriors the lead with three minutes to play, but otherwise had a horror showing with just nine points on 3-for-11 shooting.

On the other end it was Walker, who had been out of the Laker rotation all playoffs until Game 3, who sprung to action in extraordinary fashion. His 15 points fourth-quarter points will be demoralizing for the Warriors who kept a quiet Davis to just four points in the entire second-half, while LeBron James took 25 shots to get to his 27.

Walker wasn’t the lone Los Angeles role player to step up to the challenge though, with Austin Reaves bouncing back from a slow start to finish with 21 points and four assists. In comparison, Golden State’s role players went missing aside from Payton, leaving Moses Moody to play the last 9:49 of the contest.

Curry had two opportunities in the final 30 seconds to take the lead, but missed both jumpshots on a night where he went 3-for-14 from deep. It was still an excellent virtuoso performance from the 35-year-old, with Curry notching his third career playoff triple double with 31 points, ten rebounds, 14 assists and three steals.

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The Warriors now need to win three-straight games to avoid elimination, having only faced this scoreline once against a Western Conference team during the Steve Kerr era. On that occasion Golden State completed the comeback against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and they’ll be hoping to revive those memories starting back home at Chase Center on Wednesday.