What we learned as Dubs stave off elimination with Game 5 win

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SAN FRANCISCO -- The show goes on. 

Facing a three-games-to-one series hole and on the brink of NBA playoff elimination, the Warriors hit on all cylinders Wednesday night, and sent the Western Conference semifinals back to Los Angeles with a 121-106 Game 5 win over the Lakers at Chase Center.

Steph Curry's buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the first half put a stamp on a 38-point second quarter and gave Golden State the exact kind of cushion it needed. 

Curry led the way with 27 points as he attacked the rim and also facilitated eight assists. Andrew Wiggins was right behind him, providing 25 points. Draymond Green scored 20 points, and everybody in the Warriors' starting five ended in double figures.

Jordan Poole scored 11 points in the previous three games combined. He scored nine big-time points in the first half of this game, and finished with 11 in 23 minutes off the bench.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors' dominant Game 5 win.

Aggressive Draymond

Offense comes second for Green, though it can set the tone for him and the Warriors. Green didn't waste any time Wednesday, attacking from the start and making a major impact on both sides of the floor.

Coming into the night, Green was averaging 6.8 points per game. He scored eight points in the first quarter Wednesday and went into halftime with 14.

The Warriors were 34-8 all time in the playoffs when Green scores at least 15 points. They're now 35-8 when he does so.

Green passed the 15-point mark early in the third quarter and finished with 20 points for the second time this postseason. He posted a 20-point double-double, adding 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block. The Warriors will take that version of him every single night.

Simply put, Green was the Warriors' energizer, and they followed his every move.

Wiggins turns it up

Wiggins entering Game 5 had yet to score 20 points in the series and was averaging 14.8 points. With Klay Thompson still struggling to find his shot, the Warriors needed Wiggins' offensive production as he continues to have the tough task of defending LeBron James.

He answered the call.

Wiggins scored 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting. The two-way star also had seven rebounds, five assists and one steal.

The sequence of the night also belonged to Green and Wiggins, and it came on the defensive end. With Wiggins hounding James and even knocking the ball away, LeBron was forced to give it up and find Anthony Davis. Green had other ideas for AD.

That's winning basketball. That's playoff basketball. That's what makes both of them so special, with their offense being a giant bonus.

The GP2 impact

As Lonnie Walker IV lit up the Warriors in the fourth quarter of Game 2, Gary Payton II watched from the bench.

Steve Kerr didn't make the same mistake two nights later.

Payton started the fourth quarter by following Walker full court, and he didn't sit down until the 6:35 mark with the Warriors up by 12 points. The Lakers scored five points in a 50-second span, prompting a timeout to get Payton back in the game.

Kerr didn't pull him until both teams emptied the bench with a little over two minutes to go.

RELATED: Steph named to All-NBA Second Team for 2022-23 season

Payton played 27 minutes, had a game-high plus-25, scored 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting and added six rebounds. How he affects the game always goes beyond the box score.

Still, this is a highlight worth watching.

The Warriors' starting five that included Payton for the second consecutive game played 18 1/2 minutes together and was a plus-18, outscoring the Lakers 53-35.

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