NBA Playoffs Warriors vs Lakers: Warriors Buzzing in Game 5 Thanks to Stephen Curry; Lakers to Miss Anthony Davis After Head Injury

The Golden State Warriors finished the opening period of Game 5 on Wednesday with a classic Splash Brothers basket to build an 11-point lead.

They took control after a 9-2 run to start the second. The defending NBA champions defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 121-106 to avoid having their season end on Wednesday after suffering a painful Game 4 setback with their postseason on the line.

The Lakers’ problems were made worse when Anthony Davis suffered a head injury late in the game, casting doubt on his availability for Game 6.
Warriors are hot from three.

In the first 4:30 of the game on Wednesday, Golden State made four 3-pointers to jump out to a 17-5 lead, much like it had in so many of its victories during its journey to four titles.

With a 50-50 draw midway through the second quarter, a Lakers squad that has improved since a midseason roster change rallied and overcame its early deficit. It did this by regularly turning to Davis, who excelled in the post against an undersized Kevon Looney.

However, the Warriors turned to the long ball once more during a 20-9 run to end the half that was fuelled by four further 3-pointers. In the final 30 seconds, they went on a 6-0 run that included threes from Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry as the buzzer sounded.
After frequently going for the basket to start the second half, the Warriors increased their lead to 79-61, by 11 points, after the break thanks to a 9-2 run.

Curry sitting out the third quarter allowed the Lakers to close the gap, but Golden State went into the fourth quarter with an 11-point advantage.

It was the same location as on Monday, when the Warriors had a 7-point lead after three. On Golden State’s home court, however, there was no late Lakers comeback this time. Never again did Los Angeles come within 9 points. The game was ended when Davis got hurt in the fourth.

Anthony Davis departs after suffering a head injury.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Davis received an unintentional elbow to the head from Looney and walked to the bench.

He appeared to be in discomfort as he sat on the bench and then, with the Warriors leading 102-90, walked with assistance to the tunnel. He departed the court looking dizzy.
Prior to the game’s conclusion, Davis was reportedly wheeled to the locker room for more testing. He was dismissed immediately after that. Davis’ condition had improved, according to head coach Darvin Ham, after the game.
Davis, according to Ham, “just checked on him in the back, he seems to be doing really good already.”

The status of Davis for Game 6 was unclear after the game, and the Lakers did not provide an early diagnosis.

Curry takes the lead and is well supported.
Curry led Golden State to victory once more, scoring 27 points, dishing out 8 assists, and shooting 12-of-24 from the field. He received a lot of assistance, unlike Monday’s loss when none of his teammates scored more than 17 points.

In addition, Andrew Wiggins added 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists while making 10 of his 18 field goal attempts. Draymond Green had 20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals while playing offensively in an uncharacteristically aggressive manner.

He scored 20 points or more twice in the postseason on 7 of 11 field goal attempts. Gary Payton II contributed 13 points in a productive manner and grabbed 6 rebounds while shooting 4-of-5 from the field.

Jordan Poole (11 points, 5-of-14 from the field) and Thompson (10 points, 3-of-12) both continued to struggle with their shooting. The outcome of Game 6 in Los Angeles will be crucial to Golden State’s prospects of hosting Game 7.

LeBron James led the Lakers with 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 of 17 field goal attempts. Prior to getting hurt, Davis had been scoring at a clip of 18 points per half. He completed the game with 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists.

As Green anchors the post in the Warriors’ starting lineup for small-ball offense, Looney has been pushed to the bench since Game 1. He did the majority of his damage against Looney.

Game 6 will take place in Los Angeles on Friday, May 12, 2023.

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