By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Facing elimination, the Golden State Warriors survived the Game 5 challenge against the Los Angeles Lakers. The best-of-seven series continues in crypto.com Arena Friday.
“Accepting our shortcomings there but also understanding we can make the necessary adjustments to hopefully make a good start in Game 6, give ourselves some momentum and put some pressure on them,” Stephen Curry previewed the next visit to Los Angeles after the Game 3 blowout and the Game 4 narrow loss.
Curry, 35, led all scorers with 27 points in Game 5, a must-win situation for the reigning NBA champions. If the Warriors manage to extend the series, they will be back to Chase Center for a deciding Game 7 on the next edition of NBA Sundays. However, the Lakers will be looking to clinch a berth in the Western Conference Finals in Game 6.
“Friday is an opportunity for us to see where we are, to see what we are made of, and go out there with the grit and the fight that we have since we came together after the All-Star break,” said LeBron James after netting a team-high 25 points in Game 5’s losing effort, “A very resilient team and we respond well to adversity.”
Early exit for Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis did not return after subbing out with a head injury early in the fourth quarter. Ending up with 23 points over 32 minutes, his status heading to Game 6 is unclear.
“We just checked in on him, he seems to be doing really good already,” explained head coach Darvin Ham in the postgame press conference, “That’s just where he’s at. That’s the status of it right now.”
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