Rockets survive without Kevin Durant, dominate Lakers in Game 4 after Deandre Ayton's ejection to avoid sweep

Deandre Ayton was ejected after he drilled Alperen Sengun in the head with his forearm on Sunday night. (AP/Karen Warren) ASSOCIATED PRESS 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 Sengun 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.