HOUSTON Rockets kept their season alive with a convincing 115-96 victory over Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of their Western Conference playoff series on Sunday (Monday in the Philippines) in Houston, Texas.
Facing elimination after dropping the first three games, Houston delivered a strong all-around performance to cut the series deficit to 3-1. The matchup now shifts back to Los Angeles for Game 5 in three days.
Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 23 points, while Tari Eason contributed 20. Alperen Sengun finished with 19, Reed Sheppard added 17, and Jabari Smith Jr. chipped in 16.
The Rockets secured their first win in the series despite continuing to play without Kevin Durant, who missed his third straight game due to injury. He remains sidelined with a sprained left ankle after also dealing with a bruised right knee earlier in the series.
On the other side, the Lakers struggled to generate consistent offense. Deandre Ayton posted 19 points and 10 rebounds but was ejected late in the third quarter after being assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for striking Sengun in the head.
LeBron James had a quiet outing, finishing with 10 points on 2-of-9 shooting. He also recorded nine assists but committed eight turnovers before sitting out the closing minutes.
At Portland, Victor Wembanyama had 27 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks in his return from a concussion and San Antonio Spurs scored a 114-93 Game 4 victory over the Trail Blazers to take a 3-1 series lead.
De’Aaron Fox top-scored for the Spurs with 28 points, seven assists, and six rebounds, while Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell contributed 16 and 11 points, respectively.
Deni Avdija led the way with 27 points, while Jrue Holiday and Jerami Grant contributed 20 and 17 points, respectively, for the Trail Blazers, which led by as many as 15 points early in the game.
Over at the East, Boston Celtics surged to a 3-1 series lead over Philadelphia 76ers with a commanding 128-96 win in Game 4, while Toronto Raptors evened their series with Cleveland Cavaliers at 2-2 after a 93-89 win in Game 4./PN
