The Lakers lost Game 4 to the Rockets 115-96, failing to sweep the series. Despite a 3-1 series lead, the Lakers struggled with 24 turnovers and poor shooting from beyond the arc.
Key points
Lakers lost Game 4 to Rockets 115-96
Lakers committed 24 turnovers
Houston led by 21 points in the third quarter
Lakers went 5-of-22 from 3-point range
Series stands at 3-1 in favor of Lakers
Mentioned in this story
Luka DoncicAustin ReavesKevin Durant
Los Angeles LakersHouston Rockets
Coming into Game 4 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets on Sunday, the Rockets were in the improbable scenario of being down 3-0 to a Lakers team that has been without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. With Kevin Durant missing his second straight game due to an ankle injury, it looked like the Rockets had little chance of winning even one game in this series.
But they started to assert themselves in the second quarter, allowing them to take a 56-47 lead at halftime. The Lakers were plagued by miscues — they committed eight turnovers in the first quarter and 14 in the first half — and for the first time in the series, they had trouble hitting from long range.
This game was practically over by the middle of the third quarter. Houston went ahead by 21 points with 6:20 left in the quarter, and L.A. could never get anything going offensively for an extended period of time. The Lakers lost by a final score of 115-96, which means this series will continue for at least one more game.
In all, they committed 24 turnovers and gave up 30 points off those turnovers, and they went just 5-of-22 from 3-point range. While they still have a 3-1 series lead, they have lost a significant amount of momentum, and if they end up losing Game 5, the tone of this whole matchup will likely feel a lot different.
Kennard played very well in the first three games of this series, but he wasn't nearly as aggressive when it came to looking for his shot throughout Game 4. He attempted eight shots and made three of them, and he missed all three of his 3-point attempts. In 32 minutes, Kennard finished with seven points, three rebounds and two assists.
Q&A
What was the final score of the Lakers vs Rockets Game 4?
The final score was 115-96 in favor of the Houston Rockets.
How many turnovers did the Lakers commit in Game 4?
The Lakers committed a total of 24 turnovers during the game.
What is the current series status after Game 4?
The Lakers still lead the series 3-1 after losing Game 4.
Who were the key players missing for the Lakers in Game 4?
Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were both missing for the Lakers in Game 4.
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Hachimura was one of only two players who were a consistent offensive threat for the Lakers in this game. He made six of his 10 field-goal attempts to score 13 points, and he also had three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 30 minutes.
Ayton was a force in the first half as he kept the Lakers in contention during that time with 15 points and eight rebounds. His teammates were looking to get him the ball in the paint quite often, and he seemed emboldened by the opportunities he was getting.
Unfortunately, Ayton was ejected with 5:41 left in the third quarter when he committed a flagrant 2 foul by elbowing Alperen Sengun in the head. He ended up with 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting and 10 rebounds.
Smart wasn't nearly as aggressive as he was in the first three games. He went 3-of-8 from the field and ended up with nine points, two rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks in 31 minutes. All four of his turnovers came in the first half.
James just didn't have it at all in this game. Perhaps it was a bit of fatigue with just two days between Game 3 and Game 4, or perhaps it was just one of those games that everyone has to deal with occasionally.
He had three turnovers in the first half and seemed to have some trouble handling the ball properly against the Rockets' defense, and he was 1-of-7 from the field through three quarters. He didn't make a single shot from the 7:33 mark of the first quarter until the 8:36 mark of the final period.
James played 33 minutes and finished with 10 points on 2-of-9 field-goal shooting, four rebounds, nine assists and eight turnovers. Interestingly, Lakers coach JJ Redick kept him on the floor for the first 4:35 of the fourth quarter, even though the outcome of the game wasn't exactly in doubt anymore.
Hayes made almost no impact in Game 4. He played 15 minutes and made one basket in two attempts and had two rebounds and one block. He also didn't do a good job of protecting the rim, and he missed both of his free throw attempts.
LaRavia was able to score six points on 2-of-5 shooting, to go along with three rebounds and one block in 16 minutes. The Lakers will likely need a little more from him offensively, especially in terms of outside shooting, moving forward. He has missed all three of his 3-point attempts so far in this series, and he hasn't made a single trey since an April 9 win at the Golden State Warriors when he nailed four of them.
Vanderbilt got onto the court for 14 minutes on Sunday, and he scored eight points on 4-of-6 shooting, with all eight points coming within a span of just over three minutes early in the fourth quarter. He also contributed four rebounds and one steal.
The younger James had a solid performance in Game 4. He played 15 minutes and dropped four assists, including a nice lob pass to Ayton for a layup early in the second quarter. In the fourth quarter, he made a steal and then threw an alley-oop pass to rookie forward Adou Thiero for an emphatic and-one dunk on the ensuing fast break.
The second-year guard also scored five points on 2-of-5 shooting and chipped in two rebounds.
Knecht came in for the last eight minutes of the game, and he flashed a bit of the potential that allowed him to be the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He attempted three shots, all of which were 3-pointers, and made two of them while also making two free throws to score eight points. Knecht also grabbed three rebounds.
Kleber, Thiero and Smith came in for some extended garbage-time reps. Kleber had one point, one rebound, two assists and one steal. Thiero had three points on that alley-oop dunk and the ensuing free throw, and Smith turned in five points on 2-of-5 shooting, plus one block.
Thiero was ejected, along with the Rockets' Aaron Holiday, with 1:11 left in the game, when Holiday hit Thiero and the two got entangled for a moment.
