The Warriors are on the brink of NBA playoff elimination after their 104-101 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals Monday at Crypto.com Arena.
And while there were many key plays that determined the game's outcome, Lakers big man Anthony Davis made all the difference with his late-game defense on Steph Curry.
"Man, I pride myself on defense," Davis told Spectrum SportsNet's Mike Trudell after the game. "[The Warriors] wanted, obviously, to switch with me, and I took that personal … I know when [Curry] gets to his step-back 3 -- I just wanted to move my puppies … I just wanted to move them puppies and keep him in front and make him take a tough shot, and that’s what I did."
Davis played lockdown defense opposite Curry in the game's final 38 seconds, forcing the Warriors star to miss on two straight attempts as the Lakers led 102-101. The first shot was a fadeaway jumper inside the arc, and the second, a 3-point attempt from far behind the line that clanged off the rim.
Curry's usual heroics were stifled, and the Lakers went on to take a commanding three-games-to-one series lead.
"He’s a hell of a player," Davis said of Curry. "There’s no shot that he can’t make. He takes all the tough shots, and he makes them. I just wanted to make it tough on him and make him shoot over a contested hand and pray that he missed, because he’ll make those. And he missed, got it back, and I just wanted to defend him again, make him miss again."
Golden State Warriors
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Curry finished the game with his third career playoff triple-double, though it was the first time the Warriors have lost a postseason game where their point guard records such numbers. He ended up with 31 points on 12-of-30 shooting with 10 rebounds and 14 assists.
And, two shots he and Davis might be thinking about for quite some time.