The Houston Rockets aren’t done just yet.
The Rockets, even without Kevin Durant available, picked up a solid 115-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night in Game 4 of their opening-round playoff series. The win kept their postseason run alive after they dropped the first three games of the series.
While a 3-0 deficit is something that no team has successfully rallied back from — very few in that spot have even forced a Game 7 — the Rockets have officially avoided the series sweep. It’s a start.
The Rockets took control of the game in the first half, and even briefly took an 11-point lead late in the second quarter — which marked their largest lead of the series up until that point. The Lakers struggled to get their offense going, went just 1-of-6 from behind the arc and committed 13 turnovers in the first 12 minutes.
Deandre Ayton ejected in the third quarter
Deandre Ayton was perhaps the best part of the Lakers’ offense early on Sunday night.
So when he picked up the first ejection of his career midway through the third quarter, it marked a major blow to the Lakers’ chances.
Ayton was trying to stop Alperen Şengün from driving to the rim when his left elbow came up high and drilled Sengun right in his jaw. Sengun recoiled immediately, clearly shaken up by the hit.
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Officials reviewed the incident and quickly determined that Ayton’s elbow was “unnecessary and excessive.” While it didn’t appear to be intentional by any means, Ayton was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and was thrown out of the game. He finished the night with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The Rockets were up by 19 points at the time. They ended up outscoring the Lakers 34-18 in the third period alone and took a 25-point lead into the fourth quarter. By that point, the Lakers were just about out of it. Houston powered through the rest of the way to grab the 19-point win easily.
Aaron Holiday and Adou Thiero got into a very small scuffle under the rim with a little more than a minute left, which earned them both quick ejections. Officials, however, got the dustup settled without much issue. The two teams met for a third scuffle after the final buzzer sounded, too, though not much came of it.
Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 23 points and seven assists after he went 10-of-16 from the field. Tari Eason added 20 points and eight rebounds, and Şengün finished with 19 points.
The Rockets were without Durant on Sunday night. He was ruled out of the game earlier in the day with a bone bruise in his sprained left ankle, which marked his third missed game of the series. He missed Game 3 due to the ankle injury, and he missed the opening game due to a knee injury. His status in Game 5 is still in doubt.
Rui Hachimura added 13 points to go with Ayton’s 19 for the Lakers. LeBron James had 10 points and nine assists, but also had eight of the Lakers’ 23 turnovers. They went just 5-of-20 from behind the arc, too, which marked their fewest made 3-pointers in a single game all season.
The Lakers also ruled out Austin Reaves due to an oblique strain. He’s missed the entire series so far, but has reportedly been close to making a return and was considered questionable entering Sunday’s contest. Luka Dončić is still out, too.
Reaves’ presence on Wednesday night in Game 5 would undoubtedly provide a significant boost for the Lakers as they attempt to close out the Rockets. While the Lakers are still in great position to make it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2023, it’s going to take at least one more night to officially pull that off.
