Warriors' Steve Kerr: Lakers 'Took Some Flops and Were Rewarded' in Game 4 Win

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr felt the Los Angeles Lakers were given the benefit of the doubt on some calls in the fourth quarter of his team's 104-101 loss in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Kerr said he thought the Lakers "took some flops and were rewarded" when the Warriors were called for four illegal screens down the stretch.

There were other reasons, as Kerr alluded to, that the Warriors lost and find themselves on the brink of elimination.

Lonnie Walker IV, who played a total of 27 minutes in the first eight playoff games, has come to life in the Lakers' past two wins. He scored 15 points, all in the fourth quarter, on Monday night.

The Warriors as a team had 17 points in the final quarter of Game 4. The fourth quarter has been a problem for the defending NBA champs in the past two games. They allowed 41 points to the Lakers in Game 3.

Stephen Curry did have a triple-double on Monday, but he needed to take 30 shots to get 31 points.

Klay Thompson's nine points were his fewest in a playoff game since the first round of the 2019 postseason against the Los Angeles Clippers. He's shot under 40 percent from the field in each of Golden State's three losses this series.

Kerr referred to the Lakers as a "team that plays with a lot of gamesmanship." His comments about the officiating could be an attempt to get the referees to give his team the benefit of the doubt on some calls in the next game.

Much has been made about the free-throw disparity between these two teams, though it's not really a surprise because of their contrasting styles. The Lakers play inside and attack the basket because of their size advantage.

The Warriors can be a physical team, but they are a jump-shooting team that plays its best when Curry and Thompson are making threes.

Any adjustments Kerr needs to make better come quickly. The Warriors trail the Lakers 3-1 heading back to Chase Center for Game 5 on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET. They haven't lost a playoff series to a Western Conference team since 2014.