Warriors Stave Off Elimination, Win Crucial Game Five

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 121-106 and live to play another day. Steph Curry contributed 27 points with 8 assists and the Warriors got timely contributions from Draymond Green (20 points) and Andrew Wiggins (25 points) to offset the continued shooting struggles of Klay Thompson.

For the Lakers, Lebron James and Anthony Davis chipped in with 25 and 23 points respectively. Lakers fell behind by as much as 12 points in the first and were able to rally and take the lead momentarily in the second quarter. The Warriors who shot over 50 % from the three-point line in the first half, were able to answer every Laker run and take a double-digit lead at the half.

The Warriors exploded with a big third quarter that essentially placed them in the driver’s seat for the remaining of the game. For the Lakers the most concerning issue going forward is the health of Anthony Davis. Late in the fourth quarter, Davis had to exit the game when Kevin Looney hit him in the side of the head and as a result, Davis was escorted out of the arena in a wheelchair. Both the Warriors and the Lakers medical staff attended Davis who was feared to have a concussion.

Late last night it was reported by Chris Haynes that early tests indicated that Davis had avoided a concussion.

But Brian Windhorst reported this morning that Davis would still undergo more concussion tests to make sure he was healthy to play. If Davis did in fact suffer a concussion per the NBA rulebook, he would need to be out for at least 24 hours and thus would miss the Lakers pivotal game six.

For the Warriors, their big win on Wednesday and Anthony Davis uncertain health status should give them the confidence of winning a road game in game six at the Crypto Arena. If Davis is unable to play, the Lakers significant size advantage that the Warriors have been unable to counter disappears overnight. Then the worst road team in the playoffs can steal a crucial game six and return to San Francisco where they can close out the Lakers in seven games. Can the Warriors pull off the upset? Will Anthony Davis be healthy enough to play? Will a Lebron James team fall for the first time ever after being up three games to one? We find out the answer to these questions beginning on Friday night in Los Angeles.