Just like their first round series against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Lakers had an opportunity to close out the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 on the road on Wednesday night.
However, the Lakers found themselves fighting uphill against the Warriors who understood what was at stake and played like their lives depended on it. For the second consecutive series, Los Angeles was unable to finish a series on the road and will once again head back home to try and finish things.
The Warriors predictably came out swinging, running up an early 17-5 lead in the first quarter to show the Lakers they meant business. However, Los Angeles has proven to be a resilient team and was able to weather the storm to make it just a four-point game after the first quarter.
The second quarter stared off well for the Lakers who were able to briefly take the lead behind some hot shooting from deep by LeBron James, though the Warriors responded on the other end. Golden State was able to attack the paint which opened up the rest of the floor for their shooters, and back-to-back 3s from Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry made it an 11-point Warrior lead at halftime.
Despite being down double digits, L.A. came out slow to begin the third quarter which Golden State happily took advantage of. Again, the Lakers tried to mount a comeback but just couldn’t get any stops on the defensive end to make a real run.
The final period wasn’t much better for the purple and gold who continued to struggle defensively. Things went from bad to worse when Anthony Davis was forced out of the game due to a head injury, though it looks like he may have avoided a concussion.
With Game 6 officially going to happen, the NBA announced the start time and TV info for the matchup. Should the Lakers lose Game 6, Game 7 would take place on Sunday, May 14 at 12:30 p.m. PT on ABC. However, if Los Angeles and the Denver Nuggets both close out their respective Game 6s then Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals would instead air at the same time and network.
Lakers Schedule
Game 6: Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers: 7:00 p.m. PT, ESPN
Game 7*: Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors: TBD (expected to be 12:30 p.m. PT, ABC)
*If necessary
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