Deandre Ayton ejected after elbowing Alperen Sengun in the head (0:44)Deandre Ayton ejected after elbowing Alperen Sengun in the head. (0:44)
Associated PressMultiple AuthorsApr 27, 2026, 12:44 AM ET
HOUSTON — Amen Thompson scored 23 points, Tari Eason added 20 and the Houston Rockets avoided elimination with a 115-96 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the Western Conference first-round playoff series Sunday night.
The Rockets got their first win in the series after falling into a 3-0 hole despite missing Kevin Durant for a third game thanks to a balanced scoring attack. Durant sat out a second straight game because of a sprained left ankle after sitting out Game 1 because of a bruised right knee.
“I’m proud of the guys,” Thompson said. “Backs against the wall, us coming to perform, but we know we can do that all the time. And I feel like today we were making shots. It’s the first time we were really making shots and we were capitalizing on the turnovers.”
The players in Houston’s starting lineup each scored at least 16 points with Alperen Sengun adding 19, Reed Sheppard 17 and Jabari Smith Jr. 16.
James was 0-for-3 from long range, Marcus Smart missed both of his attempts and Luke Kennard was 0-for-3.
Houston looked good from the start in this one after squandering a six-point lead in the final 26 seconds of regulation in a devastating 112-108 overtime loss Friday night.
“The focus was good today and I think just in general guys have pride,” coach Ime Udoka said. “You obviously don’t want to get swept. And we understood how well we played last game and that was a big picture and the perspective we had was we played a really good three quarters, don’t let that last 30 seconds take away from what you did and I think it was a good carryover tonight.”
Durant was on the bench Sunday night to support his team after he was absent Friday night because Udoka said he was receiving treatment on his injured ankle.
Deandre Ayton ejected after elbowing Alperen Sengun in the head (0:44)Deandre Ayton ejected after elbowing Alperen Sengun in the head. (0:44)
Deandre Ayton ejected after elbowing Alperen Sengun in the head. (0:44)