Home BASKETBALL NBA NBA Playoffs: Rockets Stay Alive vs Lakers, Celtics Crush 76ers, Raptors Even Series

NBA Playoffs: Rockets Stay Alive vs Lakers, Celtics Crush 76ers, Raptors Even Series

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Rockets Vs Lakers
Houston Wins

Rockets beat Lakers 115-96 behind Amen Thompson’s 23 points. Victor Wembanyama returned with 27-11-7 to give Spurs a 3-1 lead over Portland.


Rockets beat Lakers to stay alive in playoffs as Wembanyama returns in Spurs win. Victor Wembanyama had 27 points, 11 rebounds and 7 blocks in his return for San Antonio...


The Houston Rockets routed the Los Angeles Lakers 115-96 on Sunday to stay alive in the NBA playoffs, while San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama made a triumphant return to put the Spurs on the brink of advancing.

  
Amen Thompson scored 23 points to lead the Rockets, who bounced back from a crushing overtime loss Friday to cut their deficit in the best-of-seven Western Conference series to 3-1.


The Spurs and Boston Celtics took commanding 3-1 series leads. San Antonio rallied from 19 down to beat the Trail 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 tie their series at two games each.


Denied a sweep in Houston, the Lakers can still close out the Rockets when they host Game 5 on Wednesday.

  


The Rockets, still without star Kevin Durant, forced the Lakers into 24 turnovers that led to 30 Houston points.

 
Four-time NBA champion LeBron James shot just 2-for-9 from the field for 10 points. He added nine assists but committed eight turnovers.


With Los Angeles still missing injured top scorers Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, center Deandre Ayton led the Lakers with 19 points and 10 rebounds.




But Los Angeles trailed by 19 when he was ejected in the third quarter after catching Rockets center Alperen Sengun in the head with his forearm.


Tari Eason added 20 points and Sengun scored 19 for Houston, which is trying to become the first NBA team to rally from an 0-3 deficit to win a playoff series.


In Portland, Wembanyama returned after missing one game with a concussion and had 27 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, four steals and seven blocked shots.

 
“I had lots of emotions in me before the game, obviously,” said Wembanyama, named the 2026 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and in the running for Most Valuable Player.

  
“Excitement, frustration, so I let it all out tonight,” he said.


The 22-year-old Frenchman praised the doctors who oversaw his progress through the NBA concussion protocol, but voiced dissatisfaction with the process that requires a gradual return to physical activity under medical supervision.

 
“The way the situation was handled was very disappointing,” Wembanyama said, declining to elaborate.




Celtics Spoil Embiid’s Return as Spurs, Rockets Surge

San Antonio’s De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 28 points as the Spurs outscored the Trail Blazers 73-35 in the second half.

  
The Spurs will try to close out the series when they host Game 5 on Tuesday.

 


The Celtics spoiled 76ers star Joel Embiid’s return in his first game since an emergency appendectomy on April 9.


Payton Pritchard had 32 points off the bench and Jayson Tatum added 30 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists for the Celtics, who led by 16 after the first quarter and stayed up by double digits the rest of the way.

 


Embiid led the 76ers with 26 points and 10 rebounds, but Philadelphia couldn’t match the Celtics’ barrage of 24 three-pointers.


In Toronto, Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram scored 23 points each as the Raptors held off the Cavaliers despite going just 4-for-30 from three-point range.


The Raptors trailed by five with 2:10 remaining but surged ahead with a 9-0 run and held on.

  
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 20 points and James Harden added 19, but Mitchell missed two shots in the final 30 seconds while Barnes hit six free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
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