The Los Angeles Lakers messed up a golden opportunity to continue their miraculous playoff run in the Western Conference, as LeBron James and the rest of his supporting cast had the opportunity to close out Steph Curry and the once mighty Golden State Warriors on their own floor.
The Warriors played with a much higher sense of urgency, taking a 17-5 lead by the time most fans were still in line for their souvenir soda cups. The Lakers appeared to be perpetually down 10 or 12 points, eventually falling 121-106 in a game that featured a red alter after Anthony Davis left with a head injury.
While the Lakers will have the benefit of a Staples Center playoff crowd to help them out in Game 6, this performance was one of the more disheartening in their postseason run. From the wild shot selection to the laughable defensive effort they showed in the second quarter, the Warriors just looked more well-prepared.
Assuming that Davis can get back in the lineup as soon as possible, which may not be a guarantee, this loss against the Warriors gave the Lakers a ton to think about. Game 6 is far from a sure victory for a Lakers team that has all sorts of bumps and bruises on them.
3 reasons Lakers should be worried after loss to the Warriors
1. Andrew Wiggins heating up.
With Klay Thompson not what he once was after all of his injuries and Jordan Poole playing like Smush Parker in this playoff series, Golden State needs Wiggins to play as he did during their championship season last year. Following some average games earlier in the series, the former top pick caught fire.
Wiggins looked locked in from the jump, putting up 25 points on 10-18 shooting and putting together some solid minutes on the defensive end. Even with Curry putting together a relatively quiet 28 points, Darvin Ham’s defense had the stuffing beaten out of them by Golden State
Andrew Wiggins propelled the Warriors over the Lakers.
Stopping Curry is hard enough, and containing their aging (yet still effective in clutch time) Big Three can take up most of the game plan. If Wiggins is on fire, the Lakers may not be able to match Golden State blow for blow unless James goes supernova every night.
Rotation changes need to be made, as the Raptors need to treat Wiggins like more of an X-factor capable of flipping the outcome of the game.