Lonnie Walker IV put the Los Angeles Lakers on his back during the team’s win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals, and he summed up the performance with an awesome three-word tweet.
Walker was an unexpected hero for the Lakers on a night where they trailed by seven heading into the fourth quarter. He got L.A. to within four with a three-pointer at the start of the quarter and never looked back, scoring a total of 15 points over the game’s final 12 minutes. Walker tweeted some photos after the game and captioned them, “Candle stay lit.”
Candle stay lit pic.twitter.com/BnMMzo2bmf
— Lonnie Walker IV (@lonniewalker_4) May 9, 2023
The 15 fourth-quarter points were the most for a Lakers reserve player since Kobe Bryant accomplished the same feat 26 years ago to the day.
Walker completely took over the game. He shot 6-of-9 from the field in the fourth quarter and hit a jumper over Stephen Curry with 1:53 remaining to put the Lakers up 100-99. Walker also hit two clutch free throws with 15 seconds left to give L.A. a three-point lead. Golden State turned the ball over on their final possession and the Lakers won 104-101.
Walker only played in four of six games in the Lakers’ opening-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged 2.0 points and 4.0 minutes in the four contests in which he appeared.
Because of Walker’s unexpected dominance, the Lakers are now one win away from securing a spot in the Western Conference Finals. Steve Kerr may have had some complaints about the officiating in Game 4, but Walker simply refused to let L.A. lose.
