Deandre Ayton on his ejection in Game 4

With a chance to sweep the Houston Rockets out of the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers were thoroughly outclassed in Game 4 on Sunday. After a relatively competitive first quarter, the Lakers fell behind by nine points at halftime and then trailed by 21 points by the midway mark of the third quarter, and from there, it was a rout that resulted in a 115-96 loss.

Los Angeles committed 14 of its 24 turnovers in the first half, and during that time, Deandre Ayton played excellent basketball with 15 points and eight rebounds to keep his team in contention. But in the third quarter, he was ejected when he was called for a flagrant 2 foul for elbowing Alperen Sengun in the head.

That content was deemed unnecessary and excessive, but plenty of Lakers fans likely feel, at the very least, it wasn't an excessive act. Ayton himself explained what happened afterward.

"I was really just trying to brace the contact with Sengun and we both sweaty guys," Ayton said. "I just slipped off his shoulder and my elbow hit him right there above his shoulders. It looked crazy on camera, but I'm not no guy who's a dirty player or plays like that. If anything of me trying to play dirty, I damn near hurt myself. I just hope he's alright, and don't think it was intentional. I was just playing hard…the outcome of what the results were, I accept it. Definitely wasn't intentional.

"... It is my first ejection. Eight years later and it's my first one."