Rockets start strong, don’t let up to beat Lakers, stay alive in series

Amen Thompson scored a game-high 23 points, Tari Eason added 20 added 19 and the Houston Rockets averted elimination with a 115-96 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night in Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series.

All five starters scored in double figures for the Rockets, who played without Kevin Durant (ankle) for the third time in the series. Reed Sheppard chipped in 17 points on 4-for-7 3-point shooting while Alperen Sengun (19 points) and Jabari Smith Jr. (16 points) rounded out the balanced offensive attack. Eason and Smith grabbed eight rebounds apiece.

The Rockets made headway by forcing 24 turnovers that they converted into 30 points. Houston scored 23 fast-break points and limited the Lakers to 5-for-22 3-point shooting (22.7%).

After dominating Game 3 and co-authoring the Lakers' overtime victory, LeBron James (10 points, nine assists) and Marcus Smart (nine, five) shot a combined 5 of 17 from the floor. Deandre Ayton finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds but was ejected with 5:41 remaining in the third quarter after elbowing Sengun in the neck and incurring a flagrant-2 foul.

The Lakers will carry a 3-1 series lead back to Los Angeles for Game 5 on Wednesday.

Houston seized an 18-17 lead on a Sengun dunk at the 3:19 mark of the first quarter and didn't look back. The Lakers shot 41.2% (7 of 17) in the first period, missed both of their 3-pointers and conceded eight points off eight turnovers. Sengun played the entire first period for the Rockets.

The Rockets used a 16-4 run bridging the opening two periods to help extend to a 38-28 lead via a Sengun three-point play at the 6:35 mark of the second. When the Lakers sliced that deficit to three points, Josh Okogie keyed a 10-2 rally with a 3-pointer. Thompson added a pull-up jumper and a three-point play before Sheppard capped the run with a layup.

The Lakers shot 58.8% in the second quarter (10 of 17) but committed six turnovers in the frame. Houston pulled away in the third, opening the second half with a 12-4 burst before Eason drilled a corner 3 and Sengun completed another three-point play that pushed the lead to 76-55.

The Rockets led by as many as 28 points.