Can Steph Curry become the GOAT? Here's what it would take to get there
Are we ready to put Steph Curry in the NBA GOAT conversation? USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt explains how Curry can surpass LeBron's legacy.
Sports Pulse
LOS ANGELES ― The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors, 104-101, Monday night in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals, taking a 3-1 lead in the playoff series.
The Lakers rallied from a 12-point deficit in the third quarter and survived a frenetic finish, with Steph Curry missing two jumpers in the final 26.1 seconds and the Lakers remaining poised down the stretch.
LeBron James had 27 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who moved within one victory of winning the best-of-seven series. Anthony Davis chipped in 23 points and 15 rebounds, and Lakers reserve guard Lonnie Walker IV had 15 points, all in the fourth quarter on 6-for-9 shooting.
Curry led the Warriors with 31 points but shot a mortal 12-for-30 from the floor.
The Warriors took a 99-96 lead on Klay Thompson's 3-pointer with 3:01 left. But the Lakers closed out the game with an 8-2 surge, with James and Walker each scoring four points in the final 2 1/2 minutes.
Walker was spectacular in the fourth quarter, accounting for 15 of the Lakers' 27 points
Game 5 will be played Wednesday in San Francisco, where the Lakers can clinch a spot in the Western Conference finals.
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Back-and-forth contest
The first half was a flurry of runs and spurts that included nine lead changes and four ties.
In the first quarter, James and Davis scored six points each and the Lakers built a 22-21 lead. But Curry, who had only three points in the opening quarter, heated up, as did the Warriors.
In the second quarter, Curry sparked the Warriors with 13 points and a couple of nifty passes. But Davis kept the Lakers from falling too far behind with 19 points in the half.
At the intermission, Golden State led, 52-49.
It was more frenetic play in the third quarter. The Warriors pulled ahead by 12 points, but the Lakers responded with a 10-0 run and pulled within 79-75 on James’ 3-point play with 1:57 left in the quarter.
The Warriors responded with a spurt that gave them a 84-77 lead at the end of the quarter.
Celebrity sightings
Jack Nicholson, sitting courtside, was not the only celebrity at Crypto.com Arena. Dave Chapelle and Dustin Hoffman were shown on the video scoreboard, and Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also was in attendance.
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