Lakers vs. Warriors Final Score: Golden State forces a Game 6 in L.A.
In their first chance to close out the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers fell well short in Game 5, losing on the road, 121-106 on Wednesday night.
Individually, LeBron James had an efficient offensive game scoring 25 points and knocking down three of his seven 3-point attempts.
Anthony Davis was productive as well with 23 points and nine rebounds before leaving the game early due to a head injury in the fourth.
Despite their stars’ outputs, the Lakers couldn’t get past a gritty game from Draymond Green, who ended the night with 20 points on 7-11 shooting.
Steph Curry wasn’t his spectacular self from behind the arc but played a well rounded game shooting an efficient 50% from the field and ended the night with 27 points.
The Warriors came out blazing from deep as they drilled seven from behind the arc in the first quarter. With things starting to escalate on the scoreboard, the Lakers settled down and found success getting to the basket. They cut a once early double-digit lead to just four.
Bron deep three pic.twitter.com/PXsVUfjJWb — Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 11, 2023
The second quarter was mostly a back and forth contest before a 16-5 closing stretch from the Warriors helped them regain control with an 11-point advantage at halftime. That run extended into the second half as Golden State quickly extending their lead up to 18.
After his bounce-back outing in Game 4, Austin Reaves once again hit key baskets to stop the bleeding. However for every Lakers’ make, the Warriors routinely had a response in the form of an Andrew Wiggins layup or second chance by Green.
One important aspect to keep an eye on moving forward is the status of Davis. After suffering a blow to his head from an Kevon Looney elbow, the Lakers’ center left the game and reportedly had to be escorted out in a wheel chair for further evaluation. Hopefully this just was for precaution, but obviously this a potentially serious situation to keep tabs on.
Anthony Davis has been escorted away in a wheel chair for further evaluation. https://t.co/vmhusZYPMT — Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 11, 2023
Entering the fourth quarter the Lakers trailed by 11 and needed a late surge to get back in it, but with Davis forced off the floor, their defense simply couldn't get enough stops against Curry to make a run.
Key Takeaways
You can’t fake desperation. Golden State brought the best version of themselves to the game tonight and the Lakers couldn’t match that intensity. Now the team will have to shake off this loss and gear up for a pivotal Game 6 Friday night in Los Angeles.
The good news for the Lakers is James and Davis played well tonight. It’s the best the duo has looked at the same time this entire series. If they can carry that over and add some contributions from their core, Friday’s result could lead to a Western Conference finals spot.
Let’s just hope Davis is okay.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.
Source: Silver Screen and Roll
