Deandre Ayton’s ejection in the third quarter ended any hopes of an LA Lakers comeback in Game 4 against the Houston Rockets, who avoided a sweep and forced a Game 5, bringing the series to 3-1. Officials declared the elbow contact from Ayton that hit Alperen Sengun as “excessive and unnecessary.” After the game, the center explained what had happened on the possession between the two bigs that led to him being assessed a flagrant two, which is an instant ejection.
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“I was really just trying to brace the contact of Sengün, and we’re both sweaty guys,” explained Ayton in his postgame interview. “I just slipped off his shoulder. My elbow hit him right there above his shoulders and, I know it looked crazy on camera, but I’m not no guy who’s a dirty player plays like that.”
The Lakers trailed for large parts of the game and ended up losing 96-115 on the night. It was a physical game that saw five technicals being assessed by the referees, led by crew chief James Williams. It was also the first time in Ayton’s career that he was ejected.
“DA’s such a sweet, kind soul. No, that wasn’t dirty or intentional,” said Redick. “It looked, you know, from our vantage point, like he was trying to brace himself with that off-arm.”
Lakers also saw Adou Theiro get ejected late in the fourth quarter for his altercation with the Rockets’ Aaron Holiday. JJ Redick was not too pleased with Theiro’s ejection as well and expressed frustration in his post-game interview.
“I didn’t get a great explanation on Adieu. I’m sure James will give you that,” Redick said. “I’ll re-watch the clip and try to figure it out.”
The ejection interrupted Deandre Ayton’s best game of this series. He was the Lakers’ offensive engine, scoring 19 points with 10 rebounds in just 25 minutes. Although the Lakers’ offense was looking weak for the first time in the series, Ayton’s presence was making it tough for the Rockets. Even Sengun was not expecting Ayton to be tossed out after that foul.
“I don’t want to make the officials crazy, but I didn’t expect him to be ejected. I think it was a little bit soft,” the Rockets center added.
“I was really just trying to brace the contact of Sengün and we’re both sweaty guys. I just slipped off his shoulder. my elbow hit him right there above his shoulders and, I know it looked crazy on camera, but I’m not no guy who’s a dirty player plays like that. If anything of me Show more
The Lakers were poor from three-point range, as they only hit five of their 22 shots from beyond the arc. They also had 23 turnovers, which the Rockets made them pay for with 30 points coming from them. Ayton also helped secure rebounds, being the only Laker with more than 5 in the game.
While it was a tough evening for Ayton, his teammate Marcus Smart was proud of the way he handled the ejection and some tough recent months.
Marcus Smart heaps praise on Deandre Ayton
Marcus Smart has been one of the Lakers’ best players in the series against the Rockets, alongside LeBron James. However, he did not have the best of Game 4s as he scored only nine points and went 0-2 from beyond the arc. With him having a bad game, Smart was happy that Ayton stepped up for the team and gave him flowers for not crashing out after he was ejected for the flagrant two on Sengun.
“We’re proud of the way he handled it, and I think that just speaks volumes about who he is and his progression,” Lakers guard Marcus Smart said. “He’s learning, he’s continuing. It probably would have been justifiable if he went off, right? But to keep his composure and stay positive, I think that’s only going to help him and this team.”
Ayton has been averaging 11.5 points and eight boards in the series against the Rockets. These are not great numbers for a player of his caliber, as he was once a star on the Phoenix Suns team that made the NBA Finals. However, his role on the Lakers is different, and Smart expressed how happy he is watching Ayton adapt to the role.
“It’s been tough for DA,” said Smart. “We’ve been hard on him. He’s been hard on himself. You guys have been hard on him. … He’s been taking it, embracing it, and trying to get better and better. Today, he showed that. He came out, and we relied on him a little bit more. He made plays for us.”
There were a lot of doubts about Ayton’s move to the Lakers, and although he has had some poor performances, his recent outing against the Rockets was a glimpse of what a talent he can be for the team. With the series once again heading to LA, Ayton will be hoping to carry the same momentum and help the Lakers secure the series and get enough rest before the second round.
