Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonnie Walker IV Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James praises Lonnie Walker following Lakers' Game 4 win

By Jeff Smith | Last updated 5/9/23

The Los Angeles Lakers took punch after punch from the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals. Thanks to a crucial fourth-quarter rally which included outscoring the defending champions, 27-17, the Lakers took a 3-1 lead in the series thanks to a 104-101 victory.

While LeBron James scored 27 and Anthony Davis tallied 23 with 15 rebounds, the story of the night was none other than 24-year-old Lonnie Walker. After playing sparingly down the homestretch of the regular season and averaging just four minutes per game in the first round of the playoffs, Walker has stepped up in a big way in this series.

Walked poured in 15 points, all of which came in the fourth quarter of Game 4, leading to an emphatic statement from James following the victory, stating that the Lakers "don't win this game without Lonnie Walker tonight, that's for sure."

"We don't win that game without Lonnie Walker tonight. That's for sure." pic.twitter.com/uMTBrxzG1z
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 9, 2023

It's hard to argue with him, as Walker's huge fourth quarter came in an efficient fashion as well. The former San Antonio Spurs guard went 6-for-9 from the field while tacking on three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Walker played 12 minutes in Game 2, scoring nine points while following that up with 12 points in 24 minutes in Game 3. Through three appearances in this series, he's shooting 60.9% from the field and 36.4 percent in three-point range in 21 minutes per game.

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