James blames himself for 8 turnovers unacceptable! Doncic promises Tiero: will pay his technical foul fine

On April 27 Beijing time, in Game 4 of the Western Conference first-round series, the Lakers suffered a 96-115 crushing defeat to the Rockets. James took responsibility for the loss, committing 8 turnovers throughout the game while scoring only 10 points; his turnovers nearly matched his scoring output as the team endured a heavy loss.

The Rockets secured their first win in this series, changing the overall score to 1-3.After the game, James admitted: "The problem obviously starts with me. My turnovers are completely unacceptable."The Lakers trailed by 9 points at halftime, but were overwhelmed by the Rockets in the third quarter, collapsing with a 18-34 single-quarter performance. James committed 4 turnovers in that quarter, missing all 3 of his field goal attempts. Overall, he made only 2 of 9 shots, with a shooting percentage as low as 22.2%. It wasn't until 8:36 remaining in the fourth quarter that he scored a meaningless layup to reduce the deficit to 24 points, barely reaching double-digit points.

By then, the game had long been out of reach. The Lakers' most effective interior player Ayton was ejected midway through the third quarter, becoming a turning point in the game. With 5:41 left in the third quarter, Ayton struck Rockets center Sengun on the side of the head with his forearm, resulting in a flagrant foul 2 call.

After reviewing the video, the referees upgraded a common foul to a flagrant foul. This decision puzzled both teams after the game.

Ayton explained: "We were both covered in sweat, my arm just slipped off his shoulder... I've never been a dirty player who intentionally hurts others."

James also defended his teammate: "I saw the whole thing. He was engaged in a low-post battle with Sengun, his elbow was just preparing for physical contact. When he jumped, his arm accidentally slipped and hit the opponent's head."

In this game, Sengun contributed 19 points and 13 rebounds, with all five Rockets starters scoring in double figures. Rockets star Durant was absent due to a left ankle sprain accompanied by bone bruising, and Sengun stepped up inside to fill Durant's void.

Even Sengun, the involved player, disagreed with the severe penalty: "I don't want to criticize the referees, but honestly, I didn't expect him to be ejected directly... It's done now, the referees made the call, we have to accept it and move forward."

After that, on-court conflicts escalated, with referees issuing 5 technical fouls consecutively: 3 Lakers players (Hayes, Kleber, Tiero) and 2 Rockets players (Okogie, Holiday).

With only 1:11 left in the fourth quarter, Lakers rookie Tiero and Holiday exchanged verbal insults, both accumulating technical fouls and being ejected.

James harshly criticized this conflict: "This behavior was completely unnecessary and meaningless. That young man probably got ejected for the first time in his life; this penalty was unreasonable and overly severe."

In the locker room after the game, Doncic, who earns $46 million this season, promised Tiero that he would pay the league's technical foul fine for him. As a second-round pick, Tiero's salary this season is $1.27 million.

After the final buzzer, players from both teams continued verbal confrontations at the center circle.Multiple Lakers players told ESPN: Rockets forward Tate constantly taunted the Lakers, used profanity, and provoked Kleber, challenging him to a confrontation.When asked about the post-game dispute, Lakers player Smart responded coldly: "It's laughable, absolutely ridiculous."

In the first three games of this series, Smart averaged 20.3 points with a shooting percentage of 52.9%; in this game, he was sluggish, scoring only 9 points on 3-of-8 shooting. Kennard averaged 21.3 points with a 55.3% shooting percentage in the first three games; this game he also underperformed, scoring only 7 points on 3-of-8 shooting.

James stated bluntly: "Tonight, defense wasn't our issue; the collapse was entirely due to offensive failure."

Reaves has been sidelined continuously due to a Grade 2 oblique strain; although listed as questionable for this game, he still couldn't play. His absence directly weakened the Lakers' offensive organization and playmaking. Lakers coach Redick discussed the injuries of Reaves and Doncic: "Missing ball handlers and players who can drive to the basket is our biggest challenge right now."

Despite this heavy defeat, the Lakers still need just one more win to advance to the Western Conference semifinals, with a potential opponent being the defending champion Thunder—currently leading the Suns 3-0.

Speaking about the crucial Game 5, Ayton expressed strong determination: "I can't wait. We must finish the series at home. I really enjoy this high-intensity competition and respect the Rockets' fighting spirit; I'm very looking forward to the next matchup."