Curry, Wiggins lead Warriors past Lakers to force Game 6
The Associated Press | Posted: May 11, 2023 2:39 AM | Last Updated: May 11, 2023
Brunson scores 38 as Knicks force Game 6 against Heat
Stephen Curry had 27 points and eight assists, Canada's Andrew Wiggins added 25 points, seven rebounds and five assist, and the defending champion Golden State Warriors staved off elimination by beating the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 121-106 in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night.
LeBron James had 25 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles. Davis added 23 points and nine rebounds but went to the locker room late after getting hit in the head by Kevon Looney as they fought for position in the paint on D'Angelo Russell's layup with 7:43 remaining.
Davis grabbed at his head grimacing before going to the locker room. His status for Game 6 on Friday night back in Los Angeles is unclear but coach Darivn Ham was encouraged afterward without providing details on what evaluation — such as concussion testing — the big man went through once in the locker room. TNT reported Davis required a wheelchair to go to the locker room.
Another good sign was Davis walking out of Chase Center on his own.
"Obviously, everyone saw he took a shot to the head, but we just checked in on him, he seems to be doing really good already," Ham said. "That's just where he's at. That's the status of it right now."
Austin Reaves made a three-pointer with 5:25 to play that cut the Warriors' lead to single digits at 104-95 only for Curry to answer with five straight points, then he hit another big shot after D'Angelo Russell connected from deep.
Draymond Green contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds as Golden State played tough defence that led to better chances on the offensive end — just as coach Steve Kerr has challenged his team to to.
Now, it's back to L.A. for Game 6 on Friday night with the Lakers 5-0 at home this post-season, having won eight consecutive games on their own floor since losing to the Bulls on March 26.
Golden State is trying to rally from a 3-1 series deficit for only the second time in franchise history and will try to win one more to bring Game 7 back to Chase Center on Sunday. The Warriors rallied from 3-1 down in the 2016 Western Conference finals against Oklahoma City.
Brunson leads way as Knicks avoid elimination
Jalen Brunson had 38 points, nine rebounds and seven assists while playing all 48 minutes in a season-extending performance, and the New York Knicks beat the visiting Miami Heat 112-103 on Wednesday night in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Knicks denied the Heat's first attempt to become just the second No. 8 seed to reach the conference finals and sent the series back to Miami for Game 6 on Friday night.
Canada's RJ Barrett added 26 points and Julius Randle had 24 for the fifth-seeded Knicks, who stayed alive in hopes of reaching the conference finals for the first time since 2000. They did that by getting by the Heat in seven games in the second round, a possibility that still exists.
The Knicks built a 19-point lead in the third quarter, then hung on when the Heat finally got their three-pointers to start falling and cut it to two with 2 1/2 minutes remaining.
Jimmy Butler had 19 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the Heat, getting held below 25 points for the first time in this post-season. Bam Adebayo added 18 points and Duncan Robinson had 17.
The 1999 Knicks, for now, remain the only No. 8 to get to a conference finals in the current playoff format that began in 1984. They got all the way to the NBA Finals after upsetting the top-seeded Heat in the first round.