Printed On 27 Apr 2026
The Houston Rockets routed the Los Angeles Lakers 115-96 to remain alive within the NBA playoffs as San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama made a triumphant return to place the Spurs on the point of advancing.
Amen Thompson scored 23 factors to gasoline the Rockets, who bounced again from a crushing extra time loss within the final recreation to chop the deficit of their best-of-seven Western Convention collection to 3-1 on Sunday.
The Spurs and the Boston Celtics took commanding 3-1 leads of their collection, with San Antonio rallying from 19 factors right down to beat the Path Blazers 114-93 in Portland and Boston thrashed the 76ers 128-96 in Philadelphia.
In Toronto, the Raptors edged the Cleveland Cavaliers 93-89 to degree their collection at two video games apiece.
Denied a sweep in Houston, the Lakers can nonetheless end off the Rockets once they host recreation 5 on Wednesday.
The Rockets, nonetheless with out star Kevin Durant, harried the Lakers into 24 turnovers, yielding 30 Houston factors.
Wemby returns to successful methods
In Portland, Wembanyama returned after lacking one recreation due to a concussion and scored 27 factors with 11 rebounds, three assists, 4 steals and a whopping seven blocked photographs.
“I had a lot of feelings in me earlier than the sport, clearly,” stated Wembanyama, named the 2026 NBA Defensive Participant of the Yr and within the working for Most Useful Participant.
“Pleasure, frustration, so I let all of it out tonight,” he stated.
The 22-year-old Frenchman praised the medical doctors who oversaw his path by the NBA concussion protocol however voiced dissatisfaction with the method that requires a gradual return to bodily exercise beneath medical supervision.
“The way in which the state of affairs was dealt with was very disappointing,” Wembanyama stated, declining to elaborate.
San Antonio’s De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 28 factors, and the Spurs outscored the Path Blazers 73-35 within the second half.
They’ll attempt to clinch the collection once they host recreation 5 on Tuesday.
Houston Rockets in comeback win over LA Lakers
4-time NBA champion LeBron James made simply two of 9 makes an attempt from the ground on the way in which to 10 factors. He handed out 9 assists however made eight turnovers.
With Los Angeles nonetheless lacking their high scorers in injured Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, centre Deandre Ayton led the Lakers with 19 factors and 10 rebounds.
However Los Angeles have been already down by 19 when he was ejected within the third quarter after catching Rockets centre Alperen Sengun within the head along with his forearm.
Tari Eason added 20 factors, and Sengun scored 19 for Houston, who’re attempting to change into the primary NBA workforce to rally from an 0-3 deficit to win a playoff collection.
Celtics thump 76ers
The Celtics spoiled the return of 76ers star Joel Embiid, who performed his first recreation since present process an emergency appendectomy on April 9 .
Payton Pritchard scored 32 factors off the bench, and Jayson Tatum scored 30 factors with seven rebounds and 11 assists for the Celtics, who led by 16 factors after one quarter and by double digits the remainder of the way in which.
Embiid led the 76ers with 26 factors and 10 rebounds, however Philadelphia couldn’t counter the Celtics’ barrage of 24 three-pointers.
In Toronto, Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram scored 23 factors apiece because the Raptors held off the Cavaliers regardless of making simply 4 of 30 from three-point vary.
The Raptors trailed by 5 with 2:10 left to play however surged forward with a 9-0 scoring burst and held on.
Donovan Mitchell scored 20 factors to steer the Cavs, and James Harden added 19, however Mitchell missed two makes an attempt within the remaining 30 seconds as Barnes made six free throws down the stretch to seal it.
