Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard fined after Lakers' Game 4 loss
Lakers guards Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard have both been fined by the NBA following their actions right after the team's Game 4 loss.
The Los Angeles Lakers experienced quite a bit of frustration when they failed to sweep the Houston Rockets in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series on Sunday. They started to fall behind in the second quarter amidst a bundle of turnovers, and the game was virtually out of reach by the middle of the third quarter. That is when the Lakers lost their cool a bit.
Center Deandre Ayton elbowed Rockets star center Alperen Sengun in the head and was called for a flagrant 2 foul, which resulted in him being ejected. Near the end of the game, Lakers rookie Adou Thiero and Rockets guard Aaron Holiday were also ejected following a minor dust-up. Right after L.
A. 's 115-96 loss , emotions boiled over again, and Los Angeles starting guards Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard had some words for the officials working the game. The NBA has fined both as a result ā Smart has been fined $35,000, and Kennard will owe $25,000.
Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard were both fined by the league for language towards game officials on the court following Game 4 in Houston pic. twitter. com/O6R5SliFbP ā Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 28, 2026 Smart and Kennard were such big keys to the Lakers getting out to a 3-0 series lead, but both struggled on Sunday.