Lakers fight back after 0-3 hole
- The Houston Rockets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 115-96 on Sunday, cutting the first-round series to 3-1 and forcing Game 5 Wednesday in Los Angeles. - Amen Thompson scored 23 points, Tari Eason added 20, and Houston got at least 16 points from every starter as Los Angeles committed 23 turnovers. - Los Angeles had been up 3-0 after an overtime Game 3 comeback, with LeBron James averaging 21.5 points through four games. (nba.com)
Houston kept its season alive Sunday, beating the Lakers 115-96 in Game 4 and trimming Los Angeles’ first-round lead to 3-1. (nba.com) (espn.com) Amen Thompson scored 23 points, Tari Eason had 20, and every Rockets starter finished with at least 16 points at Toyota Center. (nba.com) (espn.com) Alperen Sengun added 19 points, Reed Sheppard scored 17, and Jabari Smith Jr. had 16 as Houston got its first win of the series. (nba.com) (espn.com) The Lakers played from behind most of the night after winning the first three games, including a 112-108 overtime escape in Game 3 on Friday, April 24. (espn.com) (nba.com) That Game 3 comeback put Los Angeles one win from a sweep after LeBron James hit a tying 3-pointer with 13 seconds left in regulation and finished with 29 points. (espn.com) Game 4 flipped the script. James scored 10 points on 2-of-9 shooting, went 0-for-3 from deep, and committed eight turnovers. (nba.com) (espn.com) Los Angeles finished with 23 turnovers and made only five 3-pointers after hitting 35 combined across the first three games. (nba.com) Deandre Ayton led the Lakers with 19 points and 10 rebounds before he was ejected in the third quarter for a flagrant foul 2 on Sengun. (nba.com) (espn.com) The series has turned on missing stars as much as shot-making. The Lakers opened the matchup without Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, while Houston has played three games without Kevin Durant because of injury. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) (nba.com 3) James, now 41, carried much of that load early. He scored 28 points in Game 2, then played more than 45 minutes in Game 3 as the Lakers moved ahead 3-0. (nba.com) (espn.com) Through four games, James is averaging 21.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists, with the Lakers still one win from advancing. (nba.com) Game 5 is set for Wednesday, April 29, in Los Angeles, with Game 6 and Game 7 scheduled for May 1 and May 3 if Houston extends the series again. (nba.com) (statmuse.com)
