AD status in question as Warriors force Game 6

SAN FRANCISCO — Anthony Davis walked carefully out of the Chase Center without talking to the media, looking straight ahead after taking an inadvertent shot to the head from Kevon Looney and opening the door to questions about his status for the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff series against the Golden State Warriors.

An increasingly chippy series, it should be said. It hasn’t reached the point of disdain or contentiousness, but both sides are sens- ing the urgency of the moment — with the Warriors feeling the heat of possible elimination after dropping two straight games in

Los Angeles.

The key figures with the Lakers seem optimistic Davis will be OK, but there seems to be a long way between now and Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals — 48 hours, almost exactly.

The Warriors staved off elimination — at least for a night, deciding they want one more tangle with the Lakers with a 121-106 Game 5 win Wednesday night. If the Lakers believed the Warriors were staggering and not wanting

This may yet apply to both Gilas or the GSW quintets as both will be battling for survival in their respective circles.

The “Redeem Team” tag for Gilas does not sound appropriate just because it sounds like the US Dream Team of the 1990s Olympic squads as the latter starred the best basketeer the Americans could gather.

In our case, the Pinoys are due to collide against host Cambodia who is fielding an American import-laden line up.

If Gilas survives, then they get a reprieve as the Pinoys still have to take the measure of defending champion Indonesia who, coach Chot Reyes has scouted, are not leaving any stone unturned to repeat its surprise conquest of the Philippines a year ago in Hanoi. to give them any life, they took the appropriate approach compared to conceding in the Memphis series where they also led 3-1.

The more pressing development and highly anticipated by basketball fanatics is the Game 6 Western Conference semis between Los Angeles and San Francisco Thursday. The Lakers now lead 3-1 as Lebron and company tamed Steph and his gang 104-101 in Game 4, winning two home games versus the hardfighting defending titleholders from the City by the Bay.

It turned out the Warriors are as competitively stubborn as advertised, and a lot more than a front-running, free-wheeling team they’ve been made out to be. They’ll have another opportunity to extend their streak of 28 series with at least one win on the road, and if they do, we’ll all be back at Chase for a heavenly seventh

Darvin Ham, expressing allelluias for his boys’ tough comeback, has an ace up in his sleeve as reserve Lonnie Walker IV connected from all angles, producing 21 markers that even Steve Kerr failed to decipher.

Walker is not in the Lakers’ rotation and the basketball community was surprised to see him toss in outside shots that kept LA in the thick of the fight.

Kerr will have to check his roster if there’s anybody who could put the cuff on Walker in Game 6 or it is the end of the road.

Did you see Lebron hugged Walker on the sidelines and all the lakers gathered around after the final buzzer as if they had already snatched the championship trophy?

AD did feel relieved as Walker continued to pump in the counter baskets as Curry, Thompson and Wiggins alternately hit the hoops with twos and threes.

For a while, I entertained the notion that the Warriors would eventually level at 2-all.

Home court advantage did the possible for the Lakers who are more confident as ever to end the series in the GSW Chase Center arena for a 4-1 conclusion.

Of course, Kerr isn’t throwing game Sunday afternoon. They took a chunk out of the Lakers on Wednesday, with LeBron James playing 39 minutes and Davis 32 before exiting with 7:34 remaining in the fourth and the Lakers down 14. the towel yet, not even when they are gasping for breath.

Davis, who scored 23 with 9 rebounds, initially held his head and went slowly to the bench before going to the locker room area, as TNT reported he was placed in a wheelchair, giving speculation of perhaps suffering a concussion.

Again, allow me to get back to Gilas who are sailing in rough seas.

Now I am more worried than Chot Reyes is. The rest of the ASEAN countries appear to gang up on us because Pinoys have the stranglehold of the basketball crown for the last 33 years.

Cambodia will try to imitate Indonesia and duplicate its feat and then celebrate with gusto as if it were independence day. (Email feedback to fredlumba@yahoo. com.) GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!