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And with that, the Warriors and Knicks each face do-or-die Game 5s at home.
Lakers top Warriors, 104-101, now one game away from Conference Finals
Those plucky Lakers. Always finding ways to pull out a win, even when the man making it possible is the unlikeliest source. Yes, LeBron James and Anthony Davis did their parts, per usual, scoring 27 and 23 points, respectively, with Davis pulling down a game-high 15 rebounds. But it was Lonnie Walker who played the hero, scoring all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter to lead a Lakers’ rally to top the Dubs and move one win away from a spot in the Western Conference Finals.
Steph Curry’s third career postseason triple-double (31 points, 10 boards, 14 dimes) wasn’t enough for the Warriors, whose season-long road woes reared their ugly head yet again as Golden State fell twice in Los Angeles to fall behind 3-1. The Warriors led by 12 late in the third quarter, but Walker and the Lakers made quick work of the deficit. Curry made a layup with just over a minute remaining to cut L.A.’s lead to one, but then missed two straight jumpers down the stretch. Walker’s free throws with 15 seconds to go made it 104-101, and the Lakers’ defensive stand on the final possession closed it out.
Game 5 is Wednesday night in San Francisco, where the Warriors will have to overcome a 3-1 series deficit for the second time in franchise history. They last did it in the 2016 Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They’ve done it before. They can do it again.
Heat burn Knicks in Game 4, 109-101
Just like that, the team that was counted out from the get-go is one game away from the Eastern Conference Finals. They pummeled a more-or-less Giannis-less Bucks team, sure. But these Knicks have been an upstart threat for much of this short postseason. Between Jalen Brunson (32 points and 11 assists in this loss) playing at a career-best level, RJ Barrett (24) playing some of the best basketball of his career, and Julius Randle (20) bouncing back from an up-and-down stretch late in the year, New York was a terrifying prospect. Now, they’re all but out.
Jimmy Butler had 27 points and 10 assists to lead the Heat, while Bam Adebayo finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds for his best game of the postseason so far. Max Strus added 16 points, Kyle Lowry finished with 15, and Caleb Martin had 10 for Miami.
Per NBA.com, with the win, the Heat became just the fourth No. 8 seed in this NBA playoff format to win at least seven games. The 1999 Knicks won 12 on their way to the NBA Finals, while the Grizzlies won seven in 2011, and Philadelphia won seven in 2012. Perhaps these Heat are en route to a similar fate as those 1999 Knicks. Wouldn’t that be serendipitous?
