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Dave McMenamin: The Lakers lose Game 1, 108-90, after being outscored 39-25 in the last quarter and a half. LeBron 27 pts 6 ast; Rui 18 pts; Smart 12 pts on 4-of-15 shooting 7 ast 4 stl; Ayton 10 pts 11 reb; Reaves 8 pts on 3-of-16 4 ast. OKC bench outscored LAL reserves 34-15.
Ayton averaged 11.8 points and 10.8 rebounds in 31 minutes per game in the Lakers’ first-round series, mostly out-playing Rockets center Alperen Şengün. Nikola Jokić, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jayson Tatum and Şengün were the only other players to average at least 10 points and 10 rebounds in the first round. “DA’s had a great season. He was instrumental in us getting past Houston,” Redick said. “I think his … his, like, baseline of who he is every day for the last two, two and a half months has been awesome. And I know his teammates, certainly the staff, we’ve all embraced him all season long. Again, he’s the person that changes our ceiling the most.”
“You can’t hear yourself. It’s definitely the “Thunder” for a reason,” Ayton said. “Their fans are thunderous. You know, you can hear the floor shaking, the bleachers, you can’t even hear a play call. And you gotta be super dialed in.” If all of this sounds hard, it’s because it is. But that was always the appeal to Smart and Ayton with the Lakers, a place where the spotlight is as big as the expectations, one where it’s too difficult to disappear. “This is the playoffs, so everybody can do more, everybody has another level,” Ayton said.
Khobi Price: Deandre Ayton on the best parts of playing in the playoffs again after a two-year absence from postseason basketball: "I'll say the fans and the media, just everything around it. That whole atmosphere and just being in that. Having that attention on you again, everybody watching every little detail...this is where people make their names."
Khobi Price: Deandre Ayton on the environment at Paycom Center in OKC: "You can't hear yourself. It's definitely the "Thunder" for a reason. Their fans are thunderous. You can hear the floor shaking, the bleachers, you can't even hear a play call. And you gotta be super dialed in."
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Deandre Ayton, often maligned for his inconsistent effort, has been a force in the postseason, averaging 11.8 points and 10.8 rebounds while often guarding Rockets All-Star Alperen Sengun one-on-one. “He’s been saying it all year: ‘Wait till I get to the playoffs,’” Smart said of Ayton. “It’s a different side of him that fans haven’t seen, that we expect, that we know he can give. He knows it and he’s ready.”
Benjamin Royer: Marcus Smart said the defensive effort in Game 6, holding the Rockets to 78 points, all starts with Deandre Ayton: “I can sit here and talk all day about DA. I love him. I'm proud of him.”
Marcus Smart said the defensive effort in Game 6, holding the Rockets to 78 points, all starts with Deandre Ayton:
— Benjamin Royer (@thebenroyer) May 2, 2026
“I can sit here and talk all day about DA. I love him. I'm proud of him.” pic.twitter.com/gqQiIYQaJC
Benjamin Royer: Asked Lakers coach JJ Redick about what Deandre Ayton can take from his G4, before ejection, into G5: “He’s got to continue, when they play that small-ball lineup, he's got to continue to be an outlet for us and be a threat for us in the middle of the paint.” Full quote below:
Oh No He Didn't: Sengun on Ayton's ejection: "I don't want to like make the officials crazy but I didn't expect him to be ejected. I think it was a little bit soft. I'm glad they called it" x.com/UnderdogNBA/st
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Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Deandre Ayton on his ejection: “We’re both sweaty guys.” He said his arm just slipped off Sengun’s shoulder. He emphasized that he didn’t intend it to be a dirty play even though it “looked crazy on camera.”
Benjamin Royer: Lakers coach JJ Redick on Deandre Ayton’s Flagrant 2 and elbow to Alperen Sengun: “DA is — he's got such a sweet, just like, kind soul. And, no, that wasn't dirty or intentional. It looked, you know, from our vantage point, like he was trying to brace himself with that off arm.”
Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton was ejected in the third quarter of Game 4 on Sunday night against the Houston Rockets after receiving a flagrant foul 2 for hitting Alperen Sengun in the face with his elbow and forearm. A foul was called after Ayton hit Sengun when he had the ball and was heading toward the basket with about 5½ minutes left in the third quarter. The play was reviewed and upgraded to a flagrant foul 2 and Ayton was ejected.
