Anthony Davis wasn’t even looking when Andrew Wiggins rose off the floor and stuffed home the missed Draymond Green layup.
Chase Center erupted as Davis looked for a goaltending whistle that never came, the Lakers’ star center meekly walking back to the bench while all the Warriors fans surrounding him celebrated.
For a team that’s defined this magical postseason run, it was best to just look away. These weren’t the Lakers that won four times against the brash Memphis Grizzlies. And these weren’t the Lakers that had pushed the defending champion Warriors to the brink of elimination before Game 5 on Wednesday.
These Lakers looked more slow than tired. More affected than effective.
And Golden State? The Warriors look resuscitated.
“That’s just how the playoffs go,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said.
Behind an early blitz from three and a late attack in the paint, the Warriors extended the second round with a 121-106 win, grabbing momentum as they try to author a 3-1 series comeback.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 25 points. Davis had 23 and nine rebounds.
Stephen Curry led Golden State with 27, hitting a huge three at the buzzer before halftime and extinguishing the Lakers’ comeback attempts in the fourth with seven straight points for Golden State.
“Just being in the present. Bringing our best effort tonight, and going out and winning a home game, that’s what this situation is and then you worry about what’s next after that,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before the game. “But there’s no — you don’t look ahead. You just look at this game and this moment.”
Schematically, the Warriors succeeded in pulling Davis away from the paint, forcing him to defend the three-point line instead of the rim.
That can maybe be fixed — if that’s the only issue with Davis the Lakers have to deal with.
It was worst-case scenario for the Lakers down the stretch, unable to get it close, but too competitive to get blown out early, the results possibly disastrous as they head back to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Friday,
Davis had to leave the game in the fourth quarter when he took a Kevon Looney elbow in the face while fighting for rebounding position.
Davis didn’t make it across halfcourt on the following possessions and bent over near the scorer’s table before he was taken to the bench, and, eventually back to the locker room.
The physical toll of the playoffs looked to bother the Lakers in Game 5.
In addition to Davis, James appeared to injure his left foot (not the one he hurt earlier this season) on an awkward landing.
Lakers’ Anthony Davis has his shot blocked by Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green as Donte Di’Vincenzo helps on defense in the second half of Game 5 of the NBA playoff Western Conference semifinals in San Francisco.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Dennis Schroder also seemed to come up limping after a baseline drive.
Pregame, James made his 19th straight All-NBA team, earning a spot on the league’s third team alongside Julius Randle, Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox and Damian Lillard.
He’s the third oldest player ever, behind just Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Tim Duncan, to make All-NBA.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic were voted onto the first time. Nikola Jokic, Donovan Mitchell, Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Jayson Tatum were named to the second team.
“Shoutout to Bron, third-team NBA, 38 years old, 20 years deep. He should be on the first team off that alone,” Ham said pregame. “…That’s a hell of a feat at this point of his career.
“It’s amazing to say the least.”
Davis finished fourth among centers, missing All-NBA behind Embiid, Jokic and Sabonis.
“I mean it is what it is. Those things are voted on and you ask him would you rather be on one of those teams and sitting at home or left off and still active letting the world see how well you play defense, and I think he’d choose the latter,” Ham said before the game. “He doesn’t care, only thing he wants to do is win.”
But will Davis be there? And at 100% come Friday?
He was unable to return to the bench Wednesday, still undergoing examinations in the Lakers locker room deep into the fourth quarter while his team eventually surrendered.
After Kerr spent the previous two days talking about the Lakers and flopping, the game was much more physical with the Lakers attempted only 15 free throws — same as Golden State.
During the game, Ham told TNT the Lakers don’t teach flopping.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
