Three players ejected by referees! Lakers suffer a major loss to Rockets! Post-game altercation erupts between players.

Today, the Lakers played against the Rockets on the road in Game 3 of the series. Victory would have meant a sweep for the Lakers. Durant continued to be out injured, and Reaves was also unable to play. The Lakers' starting five were Smart, Kennard, Hachimura, James, and Ayton. The Rockets opened with Sheppard, Amen, Eason, Jabari Smith, and Sengun.

After the start, the first play mirrored the previous game, with Hachimura scoring first.

Ayton scored early today. Kennard dribbling, where are the Rockets players?

Durant, absent from the sidelines in G3, appeared today.

The Rockets stole the ball and converted on a fast break. James' first points today came via another putback layup.

The Rockets scored 4 consecutive points, then another steal and fast-break conversion. James drew a foul and made both free throws. Sheppard hit a three-pointer to tie, Kennard answered with a pull-up jumper.

Lavaravia and Little J both made two free throws. James drove hard, got fouled, showing real effort, and also sank both free throws.

Neither team scored from field goals; Sengun and Hayes both went to the free-throw line. Hayes missed both, the Rockets scored 4 straight to take the lead, Lavaravia was blocked, leading to a timeout.

Lavaravia scored on a putback. Sengun made one of two free throws. Lakers committed a 24-second violation. Rockets scored 5 consecutive points. Vanderbilt scored on a putback. What was Ayton doing?

Then, with 0.9 seconds left, Smart quickly inbounding the ball resulted in a stepping violation.

End of first quarter: Lakers 21-26 Rockets. James: 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists. Ayton: 2 points, 5 rebounds. Hachimura: 2 points. Kennard: 5 points, 1 rebound. Lavaravia: 4 points, 1 rebound. Vanderbilt: 2 points, 1 rebound. Smart: 1 rebound, 1 steal, 1 block.

Second quarter: Little J hits a three-pointer. Bronny assists Ayton for a score.

Vanderbilt's three-pointer, airball.

After the Rockets extended the lead to 10 points, Ayton scored on a mid-range jumper. Bronny assisted Hachimura for a three-pointer.

Amen responded with a mid-range shot. Hachimura was blocked, the opponent converted a fast-break 2+1. Lakers committed their 10th turnover. Ayton scored on a floater.

James drove aggressively, drew a foul, and made both free throws. After Hayes dunked,

Sheppard hit a three-pointer. Hachimura scored on a layup. Lavaravia easily iso'd Sheppard, cutting the deficit to just 3 points, prompting a Rockets timeout.

Ayton's position here, no issue.

The Rockets scored consecutively, widening the gap again. A timeout was called trailing by 8 points. Ayton got a lucky score.

Rockets scored 5 straight points. Ayton converted a 2+1. Sengun made one of two free throws. Smart made both free throws. Sengun scored two points. Halftime: Lakers 47-56 Rockets. James: 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists. Ayton: 15 points, 8 rebounds. Hachimura: 7 points, 3 rebounds. Smart: 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks. Kennard: 5 points, 2 rebounds. Lavaravia: 6 points, 2 rebounds. Hayes: 2 points.

Third quarter: Rockets opened with a 5-0 run. Smart stole the ball, Kennard scored on a layup. Scoring was difficult for the Lakers.

Sheppard hit a three-pointer. Lakers stole the ball and scored on a fast break.

Rockets scored 4 consecutive points. Lakers, trailing by 17 points, called a timeout. Ayton scored on a putback. James still didn't get calls.

LeBron assisted Ayton for another floater score. Opponent hit a three-pointer. Lakers continued with turnovers. Sengun converted a 2+1. Lakers officially trailed by over 20 points.

Hachimura scored a difficult basket. Honestly, they could concede early, let James rest more, and prepare for Game 5.

Ayton elbowed Sengun. The referee called a Flagrant 2 foul, ejecting Ayton directly. Must say, the referees are impressive.

Durant even waved goodbye to Ayton.

The referees had clearly signaled, and the Lakers were down around 20 points. They could concede early and prepare for Game 5 on Thursday. Bronny came in and hit a three-pointer—the Lakers' second three-pointer today. Can you believe it?

Smart's... little Smart was kicked, walking with a limp. The referees reviewed it, called a common foul, no upgrade.

End of third quarter: Lakers trailed 65-90. Fourth quarter: Redick surprisingly kept James on the court. This time he scored on a floater, getting LeBron into double figures.

Redick still didn't substitute, letting James continue to play.

After James assisted Vanderbilt for a 2+1 conversion, Redick finally knew to put in all substitutes. James was substituted out, not returning.

Tielo scored on a dunk 2+1. Knecht hit a three-pointer. The substitutes showed full energy, forcing a Rockets timeout.

The Rockets unleashed an 8-0 run directly extinguishing the Lakers' comeback momentum. In the final minute, the referees ejected two more players: Tielo and Holiday. Tielo was confused, as the opponent had initiated the pushing.

After the game ended, the teams argued briefly again.

Final score: Lakers 96-115 Rockets. James: 10 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists. Ayton: 19 points, 10 rebounds. Hachimura: 13 points, 3 rebounds. Smart: 9 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks. Kennard: 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists. Lavaravia: 6 points, 3 rebounds. Hayes: 2 points, 2 rebounds. Bronny: 5 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists. Vanderbilt: 8 points, 4 rebounds. Tielo: 3 points. Knecht: 8 points, 3 rebounds. Smith: 5 points. Kleber: 1 point, 1 rebound, 2 assists.

The series lead is now 3-1, not a big problem. The Lakers are visibly fatigued. Rest well for two days, prepare for Game 5, and secure victory at home!

Stats for both teams: