Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr hit out at the Los Angeles Lakers for taking advantage of ‘flops’ to win Game 4 and take a commanding 3-1 lead in the NBA playoff series.
On Monday night, Kerr’s Warriors fell 104-101 to the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. LeBron James starred with 27 points, but it was Lonnie Walker IV who proved to be the difference with 15 points.
Walker scored all of his points in the crucial fourth quarter, coming alive despite playing a total of 27 minutes in the first eight playoff contests for the Lakers. However, Kerr felt the Lakers ultimately benefitted from refereeing decisions in the fourth quarter as James and co. came from behind to win.
“I think we had three or four illegal screens called, and that was disappointing,” Kerr told reporters after the loss. “I didn't get a look at the replay on any of them. But there were a couple that were very disappointing just live. The Lakers - they're a team that plays with a lot of gamesmanship. They understand how to generate some calls.”
He insisted some calls against the Warriors came as a result of Lakers players exaggerating contact, adding: “I thought they took some flops and were rewarded, but I'll have to see the replays. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe those were all illegal screens but didn't feel like it watching it.”
Kerr - and Warriors fans - may point to the insane free-throw disparity between the two teams in the series, but it is frankly unsurprising given their contrasting styles. While Golden State shot from the perimeter, the Lakers played inside and attack the rim primarily using the size of James and Anthony Davis.
The Warriors are staring down the barrel of elimination, which would be a shock given the franchise hasn’t lost a playoff series to a Western Conference team since 2014. Golden State struggled in the fourth quarter though, scoring just 17 points to LA’s 27 in the final period.
As well as this, star player Steph Curry tallied a triple-double but ultimately took 30 shots to hit 31 points. Meanwhile, Klay Thompson’s shooting woes continued as he scored just nine points while he has fired under 40 percent from the field in each of the Warriors’ three losses.
Kerr will hope Curry and Thompson can find their best form in Game 5 at the Chase Center on Wednesday night. If not, the reigning champions will crash out of the postseason.
