Author: NBA Basketball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t get the reputation of being playoff failures overnight. They’ve earned it through years of falling short in the biggest moments.

Although their first-round series with the Toronto Raptors isn’t over by any stretch, Game 4 showed all the telltale signs of what has plagued this team in previous postseason runs: lack of toughness, poor rebounding, the offense falling apart, and an inability to close out tight games.

Cleveland was up eight with just under five minutes to play, but once again couldn’t seal the deal. The offense got stagnant, Donovan Mitchell couldn’t make the one play he needed to, and the defense didn’t stay in front of a Raptors team that was having a historically bad shooting day.

This all culminated in a 93-89 loss. The series now shifts back to Cleveland tied at two.

Mitchell’s lazy eight-second violation in the final minute epitomizes this era of Cavs basketball.

One basket might’ve put the game away, but they couldn’t get the ball over the timeline.

Mitchell didn’t show any urgency at first. He tried to walk the ball up before Scottie Barnes applied token pressure in the backcourt. This wasn’t a trap or anything. James Harden wasn’t being covered; he was leisurely taking his time up the court as well.

Then, Mitchell saw that time was an issue, but he made the mistake of running to the sideline and right into where Harden was aimlessly standing. He had to double back, although at that point, he only had one second to get it over the line.

Toronto pounced.

Jamal Shead sensed the moment. He dove over the half-court line, forced Mitchell back, and poked the ball free. It was a heads-up play from a guy willing to do whatever it took to get the job done.

Shead’s effort isn’t what made this play possible. Instead, it was Cleveland’s lack of focus in the biggest moments — the thing that has come to define this era of basketball.

When we think of this core group, we don’t remember the big playoff wins — because outside of Game 7 against the Orlando Magic (a series the Cavs should’ve won in five) and the Game 2 victory over a sleepwalking Boston Celtics team in ‘24 — there haven’t been any. Just a steady stream of fourth-quarter collapses against teams they’re more talented than on paper.

Same story. Different year. Same result.

The Cavs are 4-10 in road playoff games in the Mitchell era. And if you take out two victories over a 37-45 Miami Heat team last season, they’ve only defeated two road playoff opponent that were over .500 despite being in their fourth year together. Just two.

This was Cleveland’s best chance to steal a road game. The Raptors were shooting as if they had Raptor-proportioned arms, going 4-30 (13.3%) from three. This wasn’t the case of the Cavs making incredible contests on these shots. Instead, it was just one of the worst shooting performances you’ll see from an NBA team.

The Cavs — who have been an elite offense since trading for James Harden — couldn’t get anything going. Their star guards couldn’t shake free of Toronto’s bigger wings, and Cleveland’s bigs couldn’t capitalize on the size advantage they did have. This led to a stagnant offense, the same one we’ve seen in the previous three postseason runs for this core.

Mitchell’s teams have consistently lost in the playoffs, but he’s generally scored well in the biggest defeats.

He hasn’t advanced to the conference finals, yet he’s also one of the best playoff scorers in league history. Those two facts would lead you to believe that Mitchell has just been stuck on teams that aren’t talented enough to win or that he’s run into bad luck. There’s been instances of both things being true, but there’s something much bigger at play as well.

The best playoff players can beat teams in a wide variety of ways. No matter how good you are, your opponent will inevitably figure out how to take away what you do best. The ones who can adjust to those adjustments and still impact winning are the most successful. This is why well-rounded players are rewarded more in the playoffs.

Mitchell is well-rounded, but only as a scorer. He’s not a plus defender, isn’t a good playmaker for others considering how much he has the ball, and isn’t disruptive away from the play. This leaves a one-note player whose effectiveness is tied completely and solely to his scoring.

When the scoring isn’t there, as it wasn’t in Game 4 when he went 6-24 from the field, there aren’t many ways he can impact winning outside of just being a decoy for others. But again, that isn’t as impactful as it could be since Mitchell doesn’t do much off-ball.

Can you win with someone like that as your best player? So far in Mitchell’s career, the answer has been no. And if that answer doesn’t change this postseason, is an undersized scoring guard that will be on the wrong side of 30 by the start of next season worth a super-max extension? That’s something the Cavs will have to decide in the summer.

Harden continues to struggle with the Raptors’ length. After carving them up through the first two games of the series, he’s registered more turnovers than field goals in both contests in Toronto. This included coughing it up seven times on a day the Cavs couldn’t get anything going toward the basket.

The Cavs have become a one-dimensional jump shooting team during their worst playoff failures in the last four years. Harden was supposed to help that by getting downhill and force-feeding Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. That hasn’t happened.

The pick-and-roll game has completely dried up. Toronto simply switching that action has kept the Cavs from even trying to get downhill. Instead, they’re using guards to screen to create open three-point looks. That’s fine as a counter, but it can’t be used as a substitute altogether.

The Raptors’ defense looks impenetrable because they’ve never had to collapse. Rotating out to a shooter on the perimeter isn’t the same as scrambling inside. The Cavs should have talented enough offensive weapons to create and exploit mismatches. At the very least, they did in the first two games of the series.

Jarrett Allen needs to be better.

I asked head coach Kenny Atkinson if they need to do a better job of getting Allen involved when he has RJ Barrett matched up with him before Game 3. Atkinson said they did, but he also pointed to there being other ways to be impactful against a mismatch. This includes being used in the dunker’s spot to clean up misses or finish lobs.

Theoretically, those would be a good way to use Allen. It just hasn’t happened in a meaningful way.

In the last two games, the Raptors haven’t been punished in any meaningful way by putting a smaller player on Allen. The Cavs generated second-chance opportunities, and Allen did record six offensive rebounds in Game 4, but that hasn’t moved the needle.

In February, Allen was aggressive in punishing smaller defenders whenever he got an opportunity to do so. That simply isn’t happening anymore, even when he gets a 6’1” guard matched up against him.

Rooted out by 6-5 Ja'Kobe Walter and then stood behind 6-1 Jamal Shead. Has to be better than this. pic.twitter.com/vnE8sG2K2N

— Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) April 26, 2026

You can’t take away everything from your opponent in the postseason. You have to make concessions and dare certain players to beat you if it means you can better defend something else. The Raptors are conceding mismatches to Allen whenever he wants them. However, neither the Cavs nor Allen has any interest in taking advantage of it.

With seemingly every button the Raptors have pressed, they’re both having their cake and eating it too.

Scottie Barnes is running circles around Evan Mobley.

There’s no doubt as to who the best player in the series has been on both sides of the ball — let alone in this rivalry from the 2022 Rookie of the Year race.

Barnes has showcased a versatility as a scorer, defender, rebounder, and passer that has made him far and away the most valuable player on either team. Having an incredibly high motor helps as well. That all stands in stark contrast with Mobley, who still needs the perfect environment to be his most impactful self.

Mobley was phenomenal in Game 2. He was punishing mismatches and doing a great job of being a distributor whenever the defense rotated over to help. That effectiveness has waned. The Raptors have been better at sending late help at Mobley and walling him off before getting too deep into the post. This has thrown off Mobley’s timing and made him only effective at really going after Jakob Poeltl.

As is a theme with the Cavs, the lack of versatility from Mobley has limited his effectiveness. When his best skill is taken away by his opponent, he doesn’t have enough counters to turn to.

Barnes, on the other hand, can seemingly do whatever he wants. No matter who the Cavs put on him, he’s getting to his spot on the floor. And once there, he has the skills to hurt them with the shot, pass, or getting to the rim.

That versatility shows up on the defensive end as well. Barnes’s ability to shut down actions from both guards and bigs has disrupted Cleveland’s entire flow.

Cleveland isn’t matching Toronto’s toughness either physically or mentally.

Physically, Toronto pushed Cleveland’s bigs and guards off their spots. They forced Mitchell and Harden into being outside shooters and limited Allen and Mobley to a combined 11 points on 16 shots. This allowed them to control the glass, the paint, and more importantly, the tempo of the game.

Mentally, the Raptors never let up. They were focused throughout the full 48 minutes on what they needed to do. Mental errors didn’t happen. And when things got tough, they dug down even deeper.

Basketball isn’t always won in the trenches, but it can certainly be lost there, as the Cavs have shown in previous postseason runs and did again in Game 4.

They’ve provided no reasons to believe in this team. The Cavs may still win the series and could be expected to do so with two of the possible three games at home. But we’ve seen this movie too many times before to believe that’s guaranteed.

They don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt now, or frankly, any time in the future as long as this core group is together. They’ve continually shrunk in the biggest moments, with their best players failing to rise to the occasion when they need them to.

Game 4 was just another entry in a long line of disappointments.

It’s on the Cavs to change the narrative. And if Sunday afternoon was any indication of things, they don’t seem willing enough to put in the effort to actually do so.

Victor Wembanyama made a triumphant return for the San Antonio Spurs to help them to the brink of a series victory in the NBA play-offs.

The France international missed game three against the Portland Trail Blazers after suffering concussion in the previous match on Tuesday.

But he was cleared to play on Sunday and scored 27 points as the Spurs won 114-93 in Portland to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The NBA's defensive player of the year added 11 rebounds, seven blocks and four steals on returning and later admitted to being "very disappointed" with aspects of the NBA's concussion protocol.

"I won't get into the details," he said. "Ask me again at the end of the season."

The 22-year-old added: "I had lots of emotions before the game - excitement, frustration. I let it all out tonight."

The concussion protocol requires 48 hours of rest followed by a gradual return to physical activity and daily neurological tests.

A player must then be cleared by his team and the NBA's concussion programme director in order to resume playing.

De'Aaron Fox scored a game-high 28 points for the Spurs, who are second seeds in the Western Conference and can clinch the series back in San Antonio on Tuesday.

The Los Angeles Lakers can do the same as they return home on Tuesday, with the Houston Rockets having won 115-96 to prevent the Lakers sweeping the series.

Kevin Durant (ankle) missed his third game of the series for Houston but all five of their starters reached double figures, with Amen Thompson scoring a game-high 23 points.

Joel Embiid made his first appearance of the series for Philadelphia but could not prevent the 76ers losing 128-96 at home to the Boston Celtics.

Boston's Payton Pritchard scored 32 points off the bench - a career high for the play-offs - while Jayson Tatum claimed 30 points and 11 assists.

The Celtics, the Eastern Conference's second seed, now lead 3-1 and can clinch the series in Boston on Tuesday.

Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes each scored 23 points as the Toronto Raptors held on for a 93-89 win at home to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Eastern Conference rivals are now level at 2-2, with game five taking place in Cleveland on Wednesday.

• James leads Lakers to brink of play-off series win

Ejections for Flagrant 2 fouls typically are pretty egregious and easy to understand. By definition, they involve excessive force, which rarely leaves doubt about an ejection.

And yet, when Deandre Ayton was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul on Alperen Şengün during the third quarter of Game 4, which the Lakers were already losing handily en route to defeat, literally nobody understood why.

Şengün and Ayton were battling in the post when the latter’s arm slipped up the former’s back and caught him in the back of the head. It was a pretty clear Flagrant 1 foul, even if it was also a bit of bad fortune for Ayton, who clearly was bracing himself for contact.

However, James Williams had other ideas and, after review, ejected him from the game.

The play that led to Ayton's ejection:pic.twitter.com/GBDvdr8bWehttps://t.co/A8kWQzye0w

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) April 27, 2026

After the game, literally nobody understood why Ayton was ejected. First, his teammates — led by Marcus Smart calling it “some BS” — and coaches defended him, as you’d expect.

“On the [Ayton] thing, [Ayton] has got such a sweet, just like kind soul,” head coach JJ Redick said postgame. “[I] know that wasn’t dirty or intentional. It looked, from our vantage point, like he was trying to brace himself with that off arm, I think it was his left arm, but trying to brace himself against Şengün’s body.

It looked like his arm just kind of slipped and, obviously, hit him in the head. I don’t know that a [Flagrant] 2 was warranted. I don’t think that [Ayton] would ever do anything malicious.”

“I think he was bracing for Şengün on the post-up,” LeBron added. “Then, obviously, you see that his arm slipped going up and then hit him in the head. The refs said they didn’t see it that way and made the call. You have to be pretty damn good at it to elbow someone like that on purpose.”

To his credit, Ayton was apologetic about the play, though he was also adamant it was an accident after his arm slipped.

“I really was trying to brace for contact with Şengün,” Ayton said. “We’re both sweaty guys. I just slipped off his shoulder. Literally, my elbow hit him right there above his shoulders. It looked crazy on camera. I’m not no guy who’s a dirty player or plays like that. If anything, me trying to play dirty, I’ll damn near hurt myself.

“I just hope he’s alright and didn’t think it was intentional…The outcome of what the results were, I accept it. But definitely wasn’t intentional. I don’t play like that.”

To make matters worse, even the Rockets didn’t understand or agree with the ejection.

Not even Ime Udoka agreed that Deandre Ayton should have received a Flagrant 2 foul.

"It looked intentional but I was surprised at a Flagrant 2. But that's the NBA nowadays and they call it a little softer than they used to."

— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) April 27, 2026

Alperen Sengün said he also didn’t expect Deandre Ayton to be ejected for the elbow he threw. “I don’t want to make the officials crazy but I didn’t expect him to be ejected. I thought it was a little bit soft.” pic.twitter.com/pQG7Wi890O

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) April 27, 2026

For some reason, there was no pool report after the game, so there is no official comment from the officials or Williams.

A Flagrant 2 foul does not carry an automatic suspension, though a suspension can be added later if it’s a particularly bad foul. While the league will review the play, there’s a far greater chance it’s downgraded to a Flagrant 1 than Ayton being suspended.

But this speaks to a great issue the league has with officiating right now, as recently called out by Devin Booker. And do you know who the official was that Booker called out by name? James Williams.

This is now back-to-back games with officiating controversy from him. It’s unacceptable to keep putting him in playoff games.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

Deandre Ayton has a simple explanation for his first career ejection.

“We’re both sweaty guys,” the Lakers center said after his accidental elbow to the back of Alperen Sengun's head resulted in his ejection from Sunday’s loss to the Houston Rockets.

The Lakers center was assessed a flagrant foul 2 with 5:41 remaining in the third quarter of the 115-96 Game 4 loss. It “looked crazy on camera,” Ayton acknowledged, but it was not malicious.

Ayton said he was bracing for contact against the 6-foot-11, 243-pound Sengun and Ayton’s arm simply slipped off Sengun’s shoulder and hit his head. It didn’t affect Sengun at all: he finished with 19 points and six rebounds on six-of-12 shooting as the Rockets forced a Game 5 on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PDT at Crypto.com Arena.

Read more:Turnover-plagued Lakers fail to pull off sweep in Game 4 loss to Rockets

“I’m not no guy who is a dirty player or plays like that,” Ayton said. “If anything, me trying to play dirty, I’ll damn near hurt myself. I just hope he’s all right and they don’t think it was intentional.”

Sengun and Rockets coach Ime Udoka both said the flagrant 2 call — which characterizes an act as “unnecessary and excessive” — was “soft.” Sengun said he didn’t expect Ayton to be ejected for the play. When crew chief James Williams declared that Ayton would be sent off, the Lakers center simply dropped his head and walked to the locker room. Injured Rockets star Kevin Durant, who missed the game with a bone bruise in his sprained left ankle, waved goodbye from the Rockets bench.

"We’re proud of the way he handled it, and I think that just speaks volume about who he is and his progression," Lakers guard Marcus Smart said. "He’s learning, he’s continuing — it probably would have been justifiable if he went off, right? But to keep his composure and stay positive, I think that’s only going to help him and this team.”

It was the first time Ayton was ejected in his eight-year NBA career. The center, to the chagrin of many in the NBA, has long been known more for his finesse touch shots than physical play. Lakers coach JJ Redick called Ayton, “a sweet, just, like, kind soul.”

Lakers coaches and teammates have tried to encourage him to increase his intensity and aggressiveness. General manager Rob Pelinka even made a custom shirt with half of Ayton’s face next to the face of a lion.

Ayton answered the call Sunday with 19 points and 10 rebounds. He was one of the Lakers’ only forms of consistent offense in the blowout loss. Outside of Ayton and Rui Hachimura, who shot six for 10 with 13 points, the Lakers were shooting 31.3% from the field in the first three quarters. They trailed by as many as 26 points as Smart and LeBron James, veterans who led the team to a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, looked worn down with Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) still sidelined.

“It’s been tough for DA,” said Smart, who had nine points, five assists and four turnovers. “We’ve been hard on him. He’s been hard on himself. You guys have been hard on him. ... He’s been taking it, embracing it and trying to get better and better. Today he showed that. He came out, we relied on him a little bit more. He made plays for us.”

Ayton soon had company in the Lakers locker room after teammate Adou Thiero and Rockets guard Aaron Holiday were both ejected after receiving two technical fouls with 1:11 remaining in the fourth quarter. They got tangled up under the basket and exchanged words briefly.

Thiero, who entered the game midway through the fourth quarter when the Lakers cleared their bench, made a memorable playoff debut by scoring his first postseason basket with an emphatic alley-oop dunk over Dorian Finney-Smith. But the premature ending to his first postseason appearance was “uncalled for,” James said.

“It made no sense,” said James, who had 10 points and nine assists but eight turnovers. “... I don't think that was warranted. Give him two technicals? The kid just got in the game.”

At the end of the physical game, players from both teams jawed back and forth at midcourt after the final buzzer. Much of the Lakers bench and some coaches approached to help diffuse the situation. Redick said he was simply poking his head into the situation the way people might turn their heads to gawk at commotion in a bar. When he determined nothing was happening, he left.

“Hilarious,” Smart said with a smirk of the postgame skirmish. “Very hilarious.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

For the second year running, the Lakers will enter the playoffs with home court advantage. Unfortunately, the odds of this series playing out better than the last remain low.

The Rockets await the Lakers this postseason, but the LA side they will meet is a much different one than the one they played during the regular season. Gone are Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, leaving a gaping hole for the purple and gold to fill.

It’ll create an interesting challenge for head coach JJ Redick and LeBron James, which they’ll hopefully have seven games to solve…unless the solutions come sooner and the series only goes four games.

But however long the first round match-up goes, we have everything you need. Here is the schedule released so far, all times Pacific.

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Game 1

Date and Time: Saturday, April 18, 5:30 p.m.

TV Channel(s): ABC

Location: Los Angeles

Game 2

Date and Time: Tuesday, April 21, 7:30 p.m.

TV Channel(s): NBC

Location: Los Angeles

Game 3

Date and Time: Friday, April 24, 5:00 p.m.

TV Channel(s): Prime

Location: Houston

Game 4

Date and Time: Sunday, April 26, 6:30 p.m.

TV Channel(s): NBC

Location: Houston

Game 5

Date and Time: Wednesday, April 29, 7 p.m.

TV Channel(s): ESPN

Location: Los Angeles

Game 6

Date and Time: Friday, May 1, 9:30 p.m.

TV Channel(s): Prime

Location: Houston

Game 7 (if necessary)

Date and Time: Sunday, May 3, TBD

TV Channel(s): TBD

Location: Los Angeles

This will be continually updated as the NBA announces TV information and game start times, if necessary, so bookmark this page and stay tuned to Silver Screen & Roll for the latest!

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

There was lots to dislike about the Lakers’ performance in Game 4.

The offense looked stuck in mud. There was an alarming amount of turnovers and nearly all of them were live ball, which ruined any chance of a win. That will be discussed in the coming days on this site.

But I’d like to mention that god awful officiating. And not even in a sense of play-to-play calls or one player getting superstar calls or baiting officials. It was the big things that were just very dumb and bad.

First, Deandre Ayton being ejected was one of the crazier refereeing decisions I’ve seen this year. It was pretty clear what happened in that play with Ayton trying to brace himself and his arm slipped up Alperen Şengün’s back and into his head. It looked bad, but in the modern NBA, basically everyone agreed that it was a Flagrant 1.

Except James Williams, who threw Ayton out of the game for a Flagrant 2 foul. It was a decision that includes ignoring a large amount of context of the situation to come to that conclusion.

Then, he watched Marcus Smart get Draymond Green-ed and determined the kick was actually more to his thigh, so it’s fine? I’m sure if he had talked to Marcus, his high-pitched voice would have told him it wasn’t to his thigh.

He capped off his wonderful night by throwing out Adou Thiero and Aaron Holiday in the final minutes because he needed to make sure everyone knew he was the star of the show. Thiero and Holiday were getting a little chippy under the basket, but it was Holiday entirely being the aggressor. It was a textbook away-from-the-play foul. In no scenario did that warrant an ejection.

The NBA has an officiating problem that badly needs addressed.

Anyway, let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

LeBron James

33 minutes, 10 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 8 turnovers, 2 fouls, 2-9 FG, 0-3 3PT, 6-6 FT, -18

This is up there with one of the worst games LeBron’s played as a Laker. The context of him being 41 years old coming up against a young, desperate Rockets side trying to avoid a sweep should be taken into account, but he was really, really bad.

Grade: F

Rui Hachimura

30 minutes, 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 6-10 FG, 1-2 3PT, -18

Rui had a pretty decent night offensively, but Houston and Amen Thompson were able to exploit his lack of foot speed defensively. Amen is in a good rhythm the last two games and the Lakers will need to adapt.

Grade: B

Deandre Ayton

25 minutes, 19 points, 10 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 9-12 FG, 1-1 FT, -19

Ayton is the only one who can really come away from this one with his head held high. He had a pretty egregious turnover to end the first quarter but he also looked like the only way who gave a damn before his ejection.

Grade: A

Marcus Smart

31 minutes, 9 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 4 turnovers, 2 fouls, 3-8 FG, 0-2 3PT, 3-3 FT, -20

While Smart had some ugly turnovers — including replicating his early-season faux pas by not stepping out of bounds to inbound the ball — and a couple of plays that made it look like the minutes from Friday were catching up with him, he was also racing around the court as well. You can’t fault the effort. You can fault the execution.

Grade: C+

Luke Kennard

32 minutes, 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 3-8 FG, 0-3 3PT, 1-1 FT, -13

While Luke had a couple of nice moments early in the game, overall, he came back down to Earth in the two games in Houston. He’s in an outsized role and being asked to do a lot, in his defense. Hopefully a return home will help him bounce back.

Grade: D

Jake LaRavia

16 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 2-5 FG, 0-1 3PT, 2-2 FT, -14

I get that LaRavia is another player in an outsized role, but, man, this has been a really brutal postseason for him. And this was his best game of the playoffs, too. His length and defense is keeping him in the rotation, but it’s getting hard to justify him getting many minutes.

Grade: D

Jaxson Hayes

15 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 4 fouls, 1-2 FG, 0-2 FT, -4

We went back to the version of Hayes that was jumping at pump fakes and committing some really bad fouls. This was a rough game. Again, role players tend to play better at home, so hopefully there’s a bounce back game coming.

Grade: F

Jarred Vanderbilt

14 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 4-6 FG, 0-1 3PT, 0-1 FT, -1

Vando’s stat line is a little bit of fool’s gold because most of his scoring came in garbage time. Seeing him moving around the baseline and in the paint was interesting, but it’s hard to use him that way with an actual center on the court.

Grade: C+

Bronny James

15 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 2-5 FG, 1-4 3PT, -1

This was easily the most comfortable Bronny looked this season. He did a great job being a connecting piece offensively in the first half. He attacked closeouts, found the open player and chased down loose balls. His second stint was warranted, even if it bled into garbage time.

Grade: B+

Adou Thiero, Dalton Knecht, Nick Smith Jr., Maxi Kleber

Nothing much from this group. Adou had a nice alley-oop finish and Knecht hit a three. But it all came in garbage time.

JJ Redick

Well, JJ, the ball is now in your court. After three wins, the Lakers are now the team that will have to make adjustments. The offense hasn’t looked good for six quarters now and that’s to speak nothing of the rampant turnover issues.

After scheming their way into big games for Kennard and Smart, the pair have been held in check the last couple of contests. The Lakers need them, so can JJ get them going again?

They’ll need to in order to finish off this series. Also, for the love of everything holy, stop having LaRavia bring the ball up the court.

Grade: C-

Sunday’s inactives: Austin Reaves, Luka Dončić

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

You can’t fake desperation. The Rockets fought hard in Game 3, but lost and were down 3-0 entering Game 4. With their season on the line, Houston decided they’d rather head back to LA instead of clearing out their lockers as they demolished the Lakers, 115-96.

The Rockets got offensive contributions from their top players with Alperen Şengün finishing with 19 points and Amen Thompson with 23. What made this performance even more gutsy for Houston was that they won despite Kevin Durant not playing, as he remains out with a sprained ankle.

They showed some fight, earned a win with the kind of ease many expected from them before this series began.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the blowout loss…

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Smoke and mirrors aren’t enough

So far, the Lakers have gotten unusual performances, and it’s led to wins. Luke Kennard scored 27 points in Game 1 and Marcus Smart had 25 in Game 2. In Game 3, the Rockets collapsed, and the Lakers won in overtime.

All of this was unexpected, admirable and inspiring. It’s also unsustainable.

I said after Game 3 that the second-half struggles felt like the Lakers' offense hitting the limit of their functionality w/o Luka & Austin. Ditto tonight. It's obviously not an argument for rushing either back, but rather indicative of a margin for error that keeps shrinking. AK

— Kamenetzky Brothers (@KamBrothers) April 27, 2026

On Sunday, a hard dose of reality hit the Lakers. Los Angeles couldn’t get any threes off and when they took them, they bricked. They ended the night going 5-22 from deep.

LeBron James showed his age. He looked exhausted and sleptwalked through the game, ending the night with just 10 points on 2-9 shooting.

With few other options, the Lakers’ offense had no one else who could step up and produce, and the game essentially ended early in the second half.

This was an elimination game for Houston, and LA has shown it responds well to adversity and adjusts.

However, this offensive display was concerning, and even before this, they hadn’t exactly been elite in that department. Through three games, LA has an offensive rating of 110.3, which is middle of the pack in the playoffs. It hasn’t cost them a result until now. Hopefully, it’s not a precursor of what’s to come.

Lakers will get good center play in the postseason

One player who did have a good game until his night ended prematurely was Deandre Ayton. He was doing a great job in the pick-and-roll and had 10 rebounds and went 9-12 from the field, scoring 19 points.

BRONNY JAMES WITH THE PERFECTLY PLACED ALLEY-OOP TO DEANDRE AYTON FROM THE BASELINE! 💪

Perfect setup! pic.twitter.com/tsaybbbeGH

— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) April 27, 2026

Throughout this series, there have been times when Lakers head coach JJ Redick has gone with Jaxson Hayes and pulled Ayton when he isn’t playing well. He did this in Game 2 when Hayes caught a nice groove in the fourth quarter and did it again late in the fourth in Game 3.

Redick also closed with Ayton in Game 1 and Game 3 in overtime, so it’s not like he isn’t using his starting big during big moments.

Ayton seemed frustrated with his role earlier this season, but he’s responded well afterward. In this series, he’s bounced back well from mediocre performances, and he did that again here in Game 4.

If the Lakers are going to win this series and make any kind of extended run, they’ll need Ayton. He is more skilled than Hayes and LA needs his size on the floor. Game 4 provided a template he can build on.

Unfortunately, his night ended early after his elbow to Şengün was deemed a flagrant 2, resulting in his ejection from the game. The good news is that he played well and Lakers fans know that even if Ayton has an off game, Redick can go to Hayes and can also trust that Ayton can handle it well and stay ready when his next opportunity comes.

So, no matter how things are going, Redick will have a viable option at the five spot in every game.

This wasn’t the case last year, and it was one of the many reasons they played only five playoff games. This year, they might once again play five games in the first round, but only because they can win this series on Wednesday.

Sharpen the saw before you chop wood

Phil Jackson liked a Zen saying that goes, “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” This means that one must stay focused on the task at hand rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

Well, I want to add to that and say that before you chop the wood, one must sharpen the sword. After three quarters of play, the Lakers trailed the Rockets 90-65. It was clear the game was over. Well, for everyone minus Redick.

As an ardent JJ defender, there's genuinely no reason for LeBron to be on the floor to start the fourth, let alone any of the other starters

— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) April 27, 2026

Despite the clear blowout and loss in hand, he decided to still play his starters for one more shift in the fourth. I understand the desire to fight and the struggle to concede a game when 25% of the contest remains to be played.

However, this is a long battle and it’s not just about one game. LA was up 3-0 and clearly didn’t have it going to make it a sweep.

It would’ve been better and wiser to rest the guys and fight another day. Entering Game 4, LeBron, Kennard, and Rui Hachimura all averaged 41-plus minutes per game. This trio is in the top five for most minutes played in the playoffs.

If rest is available for them, Redick should’ve given it to them. Luckily, this loss didn’t also feature injury. If it did, Redick would’ve gotten torn to shreds, and it would’ve been justified.

Hopefully, the Lakers aren’t in another waive the white flag scenario this postseason, but if they are, it’d be nice if Redick gives the guys who’ve earned it a moment to get a breather.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

Victor Wembanyama was “very unhappy” with how the NBA handled his concussion protocol during the Spurs series against the Trail Blazers, which forced him to miss Game 3, and saying that the way the situation “was handled was very disappointing.”

The Spurs took a 3-1 series lead with a 114-93 win over the Blazers on Sunday night, but was clearly frustrated with the league’s concussion protocol during a postgame interview with Malika Andrews. 

“I had lots of emotions in me before the game — obviously, excitement, frustration — so I let a lot out tonight,” he told her before Andrews asked about clearing the concussion protocols. 

“The Spurs have done an amazing job,” Wembanyama said. “I’m very unhappy about the way the protocol has been handled by other parties. But my staff has been amazing. I’ve been really healthy, starting on Day 1 after the injury. The injury, it was weird, though. It was funny.” 

The Spurs’ star fell hard to the floor during Game 2 against Portland and went into concussion protocol before San Antonio confirmed that Wembanyama had suffered a concussion after the game. 

Wembanyama was given another chance to address the topic after the Game 4 win. Though he didn’t give much more detail on what upset him about the process, he reiterated his frustration. 

Victor Wembanyama on the NBA's concussion protocol… "But the way the situation was handled was very disappointing." #nba#porvida#sanantoniopic.twitter.com/aFgvdP5Xwf

— JeffGSpursZone (@JeffGSpursZone) April 27, 2026

“I won’t get into the details. I don’t want to become a distraction,” he said. “Ask me again after the end of the season. But again, all the doctors, especially on the Spurs, we have the doctors all around, they were great, took great care of me. But the way the situation was handled was very disappointing. Not on the Spurs, again. But as I said, I won’t get into the details. 

“I’m not saying that not playing was a good or bad decision. It was a decision. I’m not saying it was good or bad, but the way the situation was handled, very disappointing.”

Wembanyama finished the game with 27 points and shot 9-of-17 from the field, while pulling down 11 rebounds, three assists and seven blocks. 

The Spurs’ big man also had three steals by the end of the game.

The Lakers still have control of this first-round series, even after the blow they took from the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.

As ugly as their 115-96 loss was, the Lakers still hold a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference series.

All the Lakers have to do is win Game 5 on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena and they will advance to the second round.

But they will have to play better than they did in Game 4.

Read more:Even the Rockets thought Deandre Ayton's controversial ejection was 'soft'

LeBron James, who played a stellar 45 minutes during the Lakers’ overtime win Friday night, wasn’t as spry. He had just 10 points, reaching double figures on a floater with 8:37 left and the Lakers down 26.

He was just two for nine from the field and he had eight turnovers. James also had nine assists and became the first player in NBA history to record 3,000 field goals in the playoffs.

Luke Kennard was quiet with seven points, and Marcus Smart had nine, both on three-for-eight shooting. Rui Hachimura had 13 points on six-for-10 shooting.

As James iced his knees in the locker room after the game, he said the Lakers can't afford to underestimate the Rockets.

“Hell naw, there is no such thing as being comfortable until a series is done,” James said. “Naw, none of us are.”

The bigger concern was the Lakers' inability to take care of the ball. They turned it over 24 times, their most in the series, and they've had 20 or more in three of the four games.

All of Houston's starters scored in double figures. Amen Thompson had 23 points and seven assists, and Alperen Sengun finished with 19 points and six rebounds.

But it was the Lakers' miscues that stood out the most.

“Obviously we know coming into the series we have to protect the ball and not have too many pick-sixes, which we did all night,” James said. “It started with me. Obviously my turnovers are unacceptable. But we’ll do a better job with that on Wednesday. We understand that offensive rebounds for them and pick-sixes is not going to be good for our ballclub. You give credit where credit is due. They won the game tonight.”

When the Lakers went down by 17 points in the third quarter on a Thompson basket that was part of Houston’s 12-4 run to open the frame, Lakers coach JJ Redick called a timeout to allow his players to collect themselves.

It didn't help, as the Lakers' deficit swelled to 26 points.

It got harderfor the Lakers when Deandre Ayton was ejected midway through the quarter because of a flagrant foul for his left elbow striking Sengun on the side of the head.

Ayton was having one of his best games in the playoffs, bouncing back from two quiet efforts to post 19 points and 10 rebounds before he was ejected with 5:41 left in the third quarter.

“I was really just trying to brace for the contact with Sengun and we both are sweaty guys,” Ayton said. “I just slipped off his shoulder. My elbow hit him right there above the shoulder. It looked crazy on camera, but I’m not no guy who is a dirty player or who plays like that.”

Austin Reaves shot before the game in an attempt to play for the first time since being injured April 2 at Oklahoma City, and again he was downgraded from questionable to out because of a left oblique muscle strain.

In the end, the Lakers saw no need to rush Reaves back considering how they had dominated the series. Two days off before Game 5 will give Reaves more time to get healthy.

Read more:'It keeps getting better and better.' Bronny James settling into Lakers playoff role

“It's fair to consider everything,” Redick said. “Austin and I had a conversation yesterday for a long time, and I think ultimately the athlete has to feel confidence, and that's always the final hurdle coming back from an injury, is the psychological component of it.”

For the Rockets, Kevin Durant missed his third game of the series because of a bone bruise in his sprained left ankle.

Lakers point guard Luka Doncic (Grade 2 left hamstring strain) continues to work out on the court, but there's no timetable for his return.

"[He] was able to move a little bit today on the court, which, you know, most of the stuff had been stand-still," Redick said. "So he's progressing, but no update on any timeline or anything like that.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

HOUSTON — One team played like its season was on the line.

The other team was the Lakers, who were on the losing end of Sunday’s Game 4 at Toyota Center for their first loss of their first round playoff series against the Rockets. 

After falling behind in the series by three games, the Kevin Durant-less Rockets were the more urgent and aggressive team in their 115-96 blowout victory over the Lakers, who consistently struggled to generate offense the entire game. 

The Lakers shot 50% from the field (37 of 74), but only made 5 of their 22 3-point attempts, with three of their 3s coming after coach JJ Redick subbed out the rotation players with 7:25 left in the game.

It was their fewest made 3s in a playoff game since making four 3s on April 26, 2013 (Game 3 of 2013 first round series against Spurs).

“[The Rocket had] a top-10 defense the entire season,” Redick said postgame. “It’s obviously very challenging without your two leading scores to generate offense. We’ll take a look at the process again on that end as well. And I know our points per shot and our expected points per shot were slightly below our season average. So to me, again, it goes back to the two keys: Take care of the ball. And we’ll look at that and how we can be better there.”

Deandre Ayton (19 points and 10 rebounds) and Rui Hachimura (13 points) were the only Lakers who found any sort of offensive rhythm in Game 4 – and Ayton was ejected in the third quarter after being assessed a Flagrant 2 foul after elbowing Rockets All-Star center Alperen Sengun in the head. 

Ayton and Hachimura combined to shoot 15 of 22 from the field. 

LeBron James finished with 10 points on 2-of-9 shooting to go with 9 assists and 4 rebounds, but was one of many Lakers who struggled with taking care of the ball, having a team-worst 8 turnovers/

Marcus Smart (9 points, 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocked shots), had 4 of the Lakers’ turnovers. 

What it means

The series will head back to Los Angeles for Game 5 with the Lakers leading 3-1.

Turning point

When the Lakers committed three turnovers on four possessions early in the first quarter. 

They were still leading at the time, but it set a poor tone for the remainder of the game, with the Rockets ramping up their defensive pressure from there.

“Just a little bit of lackadaisical from us,” Smart said. “We’ve been playing our asses off these past three, four games, right? They came out, they did their job.”

MVP: Amen Thompson

Thompson has been the Rockets’ best player in the series and was their most important on Sunday.

He finished with team-highs of 23 points and 7 assists, with all five Rockets starters scoring in double figures.

Tari Eason added 20 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals. Sengun has 19 points and 6 rebounds. 

Stat of the game: 24

That’s how many turnovers the Lakers committed on Sunday, their most in a playoff game since having 24 turnovers on Sept. 20, 2020, which was their win over the Nuggets in Game 2 of the 2020 Western Conference Finals.

The Rockets scored 30 points off the Lakers’ giveaways. 

“We knew coming into the series, we have to protect the ball versus them and not have not have too many pick-sixes, which we did all night,” James said. “It started with me, obviously. My turnovers were unacceptable

Up next

Game 5 of the Lakers’ playoff series against the Rockets is scheduled for Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena with a 7 p.m. tipoff.

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On the heels of a grueling Game 3 win, the Lakers came out flat and were subsequently routed by the Rockets, 115-96.

From the jump, it was pretty clear the Lakers didn’t have the right level of effort and played as such throughout. LA turned the ball over a staggering 23 times with the Rockets tallying 17 steals and 30 points off turnovers.

On the possession where they didn’t turn it over, they weren’t connecting on outside shots, going only 5-22, including some garbage time makes. Across the board, it was a lackluster showing for the Lakers, who looked like a team eager to get back to LA and finish the series in Game 5.

Rui Hachimura and Reed Sheppard exchanged midrange jumpers to open the game. LA built a lead of five early, with Luke Kennard leading the team with three points. Three other starters had two points each. Houston had four players with two points. 

At the 6:28 mark, Los Angeles was up by three.

LeBron James was now leading LA with six points with Kennard close behind with five. There were a lot of foul calls between the teams, with Los Angeles making seven of their nine free-throw attempts and Houston making three of four. 

The purple and gold were up by three at the 3:53 mark.

After a quick four-point surge, the Rockets jumped ahead by one. A layup by Jake LaRavia put the Lakers back in the lead. Jaxson Hayes had rough minutes, picking up two fouls. 

Houston retook the lead by five at the end of the first. 

The Rockets lead the Lakers 26-21 after one quarter of play. LA's offense is nonexistent. They went 7-18 from the field and haven't made a three.

— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) April 27, 2026

Jabari Smith Jr. further extended the Rockets’ lead by draining a triple to start the second period. The Lakers already had eight turnovers with Houston playing defense. The Rockets continued their desperate, strong play, extending their lead to 10. 

LA was struggling from behind the arc, shooting 17%.

A sudden 10-3 scoring run found Los Angeles down by three, after Houston had built a lead as big as 10. Jake LaRavia, who had been having a tough series, had a much-needed six points off the bench. 

Deandre Ayton had a strong quarter, scoring 12 points, trying to keep the Lakers close enough. At halftime, the Rockets had a nine-point lead. 

The Rockets lead 57-46 at the half. Deandre Ayton is the only Laker who has it going. He went 7-9 from the field and has 15 points.

— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) April 27, 2026

Amen Thompson started the third period with a layup for Houston. Sheppard then knocked down a triple to make it a quick 14-point lead.

LA missed all three of its shot attempts. Marcus Smart then stole the ball, and it led to a layup by Kennard. Sheppard then drained yet another triple in response. 

The Rockets continued to play with serious desperation, overwhelming Los Angeles, who now found themselves down by 17. Ayton was the only saving grace for the Lakers as he was now up to 19 points after scoring another four points. 

In a ridiculous turn of events, Ayton was ejected with 5:41 left after making contact with the back of Alperen Şengün’s head, which was deemed a Flagrant 2 foul.

Everything spiraled from there as the Lakers continued to turn the ball over and the Rockets kept making them pay, building their lead to 25 points at the end of the third.

*sim to end*

— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) April 27, 2026

LA did start the final frame a little better offensively with Jarred Vanderbilt notching four points, but the deficit was too large. 

With 7:25 left, the Lakers waved the white flag. With 1:11 left, the ejections continued with Adou Thiero and Aaron Holiday getting tossed because it was important for everyone to remember the refs were the important part of this game. 

Key Player Stats

LeBron finished with 10 points, four rebounds and nine assists but shot just 2-9 from the field and had eight turnovers. Ayton was the Lakers’ best player prior to his ejection, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Hachimura pitched in with 13 points and three rebounds. Kennard ended with seven points and three rebounds. LaRavia scored six points off the bench.

Marcus Smart logged nine points with two rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks. Vanderbilt put up eight points largely in garbage time. 

Game 4 will be on Sunday against the Houston Rockets at 6:30 PM PT. 

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

After an underwhelming presence in Game 3, Knicks fans turned State Farm Arena into Madison Square Garden South in Game 4.

They were not as raucous or as strong in numbers during the Knicks loss in Game 3. In Game 4, however, it was a different story.

They certainly were loud.

“It’s one of the coolest things that I will always remember when I’m done playing, is how crazy these Knicks fans travel,” Jalen Brunson said. “Whether they live here now or whatever, they know how to attack an away stadium. And it’s a really cool sight to see.”

There were noticeable crowd pops when the Knicks scored and went on runs. You could hear them chanting “de-fense” when the Knicks were on that end of the court. They even booed CJ McCollum, who was playing in what was supposed to be his home arena.

Hawks fans tried to drown them out. But given the one-sided nature of Game 4, that proved difficult.

“Knicks fans travel all around the world,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “It’s even more special — I already knew how special the Knicks fans were from last year, but to be going to Abu Dhabi in preseason and see the stadium packed with Knicks fans is crazy. So, they travel around the world. They bring us so much love and energy and just passion that you can just feel that kind of passion in the building and it helps us feel like every game we play, no matter if it’s away or in Abu Dhabi, around the world, it’s a home game.”

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After their Game 4 win, the Knicks had wings from Magic City Strip Club, a staple in Atlanta, in the locker room.

Later, Magic City posted on Instagram: “We don’t wanna take credit for the win…. But …”

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Ex-Knick Carmelo Anthony, a studio analyst for NBC, has been critical of Towns this year.

But after his Game 4 triple-double, Anthony gave Towns his flowers.

“We talk about KAT, about what we always want to see from KAT,” Anthony said on the network. “From him today to lead the team by his passing, by his aggressiveness and then took advantage of the defense when he could. He just played a complete game.”

Deandre Ayton has left the building. 

Midway through the third quarter of Game 4 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets inside the Toyota Center, Ayton hit Alperen Sengun flush across the face with a left elbow.

A foul was called and the officials went to check the replay. At first glance, it felt like a sure-fire flagrant one foul. It was hard, and a little reckless. But after a few minutes, the officials determined it did reach the criteria of a flagrant two foul and Ayton was immediately ejected from the game. 

https://t.co/8NoglBpAOYpic.twitter.com/5Iu1wBTelI

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) April 27, 2026

The officials determined that the elbow contact rose to the level of intent, not just careless, but punitive. Ayton and several Lakers players were shocked by the decision, even pleading to the officials that it was not intentional. 

Ayton was escorted off the court and headed back to the Lakers locker room. Rockets’ forward Kevin Durant, who has missed the last two games for Houston, waived goodbye as he left.

KD waving bye to Ayton pic.twitter.com/G5QbweQvij

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 27, 2026

The Lakers were already unraveling in Game 3, trailing by as many as 26 points. Ironically, Ayton was the lone bright spot for the Lakers offense. He had 19 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes before he was ejected. 

Now, instead of building off the momentum of their Game 3 surge, the Lakers look ready to head back home to Los Angeles for a Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night.

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