Lonnie Walker IV Playing for Los Angeles Lakers Latest Playoffs Star, While Warriors Continue Fading

The Los Angeles Lakers are gaining confidence by the game, with a new player stepping into the limelight each time.

Every game, a different member of the Golden State Warriors seems to buckle under the weight of title defense, giving Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry something new to deal with.

The Lakers are showing that they are more than just a typical seventh seed; they are no longer a “happy-to-be-here” squad, and their 104-101 victory over the Warriors at Crypto.com Arena on Monday night brought them one step closer to removing the champions.

D’Angelo Russell took on a more offensive role and led the Lakers to a rout two nights ago. This time, it was bench player Lonnie Walker IV who came up big, scoring 15 of his team’s final 15 points.

From his introduction in the fourth quarter, when the Lakers badly needed a spark, it was clear he was springy and willing to take advantage of opportunities. You couldn’t help but keep waiting for Darvin Ham to bench him so the spotlight could return to LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Shot to the skull, Lonnie Walker IV

Both James and Davis remained resolute on defense, coming up with crucial stops whenever the Warriors came close. As a matter of fact, it’s no secret that the likes of Draymond Green, who has been credited with a number of notable achievements, are big fans of the Warriors.

They both stated afterward that they enjoyed being a part of the action, as insider information about the Warriors’ routines can pay dividends.

They relied on Walker IV and other players better suited for offensive.

He continued reminding himself and everyone else why he was a regular in the starting lineup at the beginning of the season and why he was having huge nights until all the personnel changes in February took him out of the rotation.

Walker IV advised those who have “weathered the storm” to “learn how to dance in the storm.” I got hurt, and that was out of my hands, but I didn’t give up. Being a dedicated colleague and dedicated professional, I remained in the gym.

Looking confident and sneaking up on the Warriors from behind, he unleashed the storm on them. Aside from brief bursts of effort to keep the Lakers in the game, James and Davis were once again free to concentrate on defense. They wobbled frequently, but held together.

According to Ham, “when your mind and heart is in a right place, the body follows” in Walker IV’s case. To his credit. We continued to focus on the next possession, or play. Lonnie Walker is smack dab in the center of all of that.

After a string of up-and-down showings, Davis capped things up with a 23-point, 15-rebound performance, but his defense was once again stellar. James helped the Lakers come back from minute deficits, and he did so despite not shooting very well and at times appearing sloppy.

He finished with 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists in 42 minutes. When Ham took him out of the game in the fourth quarter, he returned to the field 10 seconds later without even sitting on the bench.

James led a comeback in the fourth quarter after his team fell behind by seven points. The Warriors had a chance to take control of the game and even the series at that point.

“During the majority of halftime, we watched clips. “At times, you have to take the advice of your players,” Ham remarked. It’s a team effort, therefore you’ve to listen to your guys. People’s perspectives on the game have become more open and sincere. That was all LeBron. Following his usual routine.

The Warriors, it seems, set out to make their lives as difficult as possible, and now they’ve dug themselves a hole that even four championship rings won’t help them escape from. They had multiple opportunities to finish off the Lakers in the second half.

Although the Lakers were understandably desperate, the Warriors were in a better position to pull off the upset. Like in Game 2, when he dominated the pace and found open teammates for a shooting party, Curry had a great night except from beyond the arc.

He played with the finesse of Magic Johnson or LeBron James at the height of his powers, finishing with 31 points, 14 assists, and 10 boards.
The Warriors needed Curry to carry the load more than in Game 2. Perhaps it’s unreasonable to ask after all of Curry’s orchestration, but at this point, nothing is beyond the realm of possibility.

He was only 3-for-14 from beyond the arc, so he was probably due. They had to have him in that domain tonight. Thompson’s performance in the series he thought would be a dream come true was a nightmare, as he launched nonsensical shots when the Warriors needed sound play.

Aside from the fact that he’s already proven his mettle once, it’s safe to assume he’ll do it again. After all, he’s already earned the right to call the shots when it comes to the reputation he’s worked so hard to build.

Thompson is a minus-21 shooter and 8-of-22 shooter in his two home games. But that pales in comparison to Jordan Poole, who seems to vanish into thin air during his minutes and who appears to lack both confidence and composure.

The rest of the offensive burden fell solely on Curry’s shoulders. The Warriors’ hot start can be attributed in large part to Kerr’s decision to insert Gary Payton II into the starting lineup. The Lakers were taken off guard by the Warriors’ ability to quickly break the ball following defensive stops thanks to the efforts of Payton II and Moses Moody.

But they needed a consistent offensive attack, and Curry had few reliable options. Payton II scored 17 points in 23 minutes, but something is obviously wrong if he and Andrew Wiggins are the team’s primary scorers behind Curry.

With 26 seconds remaining, and after Green had collected an offensive rebound and launched from 30 feet out, he missed a floater that would have knotted the game.

Both were directed at Davis, whom James praised as the game’s top defender in his postgame TNT interview. Davis remained consistent despite showing signs of exhaustion late in the game; he scared the Warriors just enough to keep them from running away with the paint scoring.

The Warriors constantly used their speed and aggression to try to beat the Lakers. Their offense in the fourth quarter was the deciding factor.

In San Francisco on Wednesday, one club will be thriving while the other will be reeling and searching for explanations.

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