Lonnie Legend: Candle Stay Lit 🔥

05/09/2023

By: Jeff Yoder

Bench Heroes: Lakers (Lonnie Walker IV) & Heat (Kyle Lowry) Get Huge Performances Off the Bench to Win Game 4s

Despite all the star power dominating the NBA Playoffs, Monday was one for the bench heroes. The Heat got 32 points from their bench, including 15 from veteran Kyle Lowry to grab Game 4 against the Knicks. In the nightcap, the Lakers rallied late to beat the Warriors thanks to an unlikely hero — Lonnie Walker IV. What will forever be known as “The Lonnie Walker IV Game” was quite the show. Walker scored all 15 of his points (6-for-9, FG) in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers erase a seven-point deficit and overcome a triple-double from Stephen Curry (31-14-10). The 24-year-old scored just eight points in the opening-round series against the Grizzlies, but he’s now scored 36 points in the last three games. As he put it in his viral post-game tweet: “Candle Stay Lit “ — In other words, “always be ready.” Walker (15) nearly outscored Golden State (17) by himself in the 4th, primarily during a stretch where Los Angeles was desperately searching for buckets. The Lakers (7-seed) and Heat (8-seed) are now just one win away from the conference finals.

Fun Fact: Lonnie Walker IV is the first Lakers player to score 15-plus off the bench in a single quarter of a playoff game since Kobe Bryant (May 8, 1997).

Game 4 Bench Comparisons

Heat (32 points) > Knicks (10 points)

Lakers (27 points) > Warriors (21 points)

Conference Semifinal Highlights

Gm 4: Heat def. Knicks (109-101) | MIA Leads (3-1)

Gm 4: Lakers def. Warriors (104-101) | LAL Leads (3-1)

Top Performers

S. Curry (GSW): 31 points, 14 assists, 10 rebounds, 3 steals

J. Brunson (NYK): 32 points, 11 assists

J. Butler (MIA): 27 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists

L. James (LAL): 27 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists

A. Davis (LAL): 23 points, 15 rebounds