ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Houston Rockets aren’t done just yet.

The Rockets, even without Kevin Durant available, picked up a solid 115-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night in Game 4 of their opening-round playoff series. The win kept their postseason run alive after they dropped the first three games of the series.

While a 3-0 deficit is something that no team has successfully rallied back from —  very few in that spot have even forced a Game 7 — the Rockets have officially avoided the series sweep. It’s a start.

The Rockets took control of the game in the first half, and even briefly took an 11-point lead late in the second quarter — which marked their largest lead of the series up until that point. The Lakers struggled to get their offense going, went just 1-of-6 from behind the arc and committed 13 turnovers in the first 12 minutes. 

Deandre Ayton ejected in the third quarter

Deandre Ayton was perhaps the best part of the Lakers’ offense early on Sunday night. 

So when he picked up the first ejection of his career midway through the third quarter, it marked a major blow to the Lakers’ chances. 

Ayton was trying to stop Alperen Sengun from driving to the rim when his left elbow came up high and drilled Sengun right in his jaw. Sengun recoiled immediately, clearly shaken up by the hit. 

Officials reviewed the incident and quickly determined that Ayton’s elbow was “unnecessary and excessive.” While it didn’t appear to be intentional by any means, Ayton was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and was thrown out of the game. He finished the night with 19 points and 10 rebounds. 

The Rockets were up by 19 points at the time. They ended up outscoring the Lakers 34-18 in the third period alone and took a 25-point lead into the fourth quarter. By that point, the Lakers were just about out of it. Houston powered through the rest of the way to grab the 19-point win easily.

Aaron Holiday and Adou Thiero got into a very small scuffle under the rim with a little more than a minute left too, which earned them both quick ejections. Officials, however, got the dustup settled without much issue. The two teams met for a third scuffle after the final buzzer sounded, too, though not much came of it.

Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 23 points and seven assists after he went 10-of-16 from the field. Tari Eason added 20 points and eight rebounds, and Sengun finished with 19 points.

The Rockets were without Durant on Sunday night. He was ruled out of the game earlier in the day with a bone bruise in his sprained left ankle, which marked his third missed game of the series. He missed Game 3 due to the ankle injury, and he missed the opening game due to a knee injury. His status in Game 5 is still absolutely in doubt.

Rui Hachimura added 13 points to go with Ayton’s 19 for the Lakers. LeBron James had 10 points and nine assists, but also had eight of the Lakers’ 23 turnovers. They went just 5-of-20 from behind the arc, too, which marked their fewest made 3-pointers in a single game all season.

The Lakers also ruled out Austin Reaves due to an oblique strain. He’s missed the entire series so far, but has reportedly been close to making a return and was considered questionable entering Sunday’s contest. Luka Dončić is still out, too.

Reaves’ presence on Wednesday night in Game 5 would undoubtedly provide a significant boost for the Lakers as they attempt to close the Rockets out. While the Lakers are still in a great position to make it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2023, it’s going to take at least one more night to officially pull that off.

Longtime Washington linebacker and former Arkansas Pine Bluff head coach Monte Coleman died on Sunday, the university announced. 

He was 68. 

Coleman spent his entire 16 year NFL career with Washington, which first selected him in the 11th round of the 1979 draft. He quickly became a fixture in the franchise’s defense, and even led the league with 118 total tackles during his second season in 1980. In total, Coleman finished with 1,002 combined tackles and 49.5 sacks by the time he retired after the 1994 campaign. He had 17 interceptions, too, including three that he ran back for touchdowns. 

Coleman helped Washington win three Super Bowl titles during his time there, too, first in 1982 and then again in 1987 and 1991. He played in 215 career games, which is the second-most in Washington franchise history behind only Darrell Green. He was inducted into the team’s Ring of Fame in 2015.

Coleman played at the University of Central Arkansas, and was the first player from that NAIA program to be selected in the NFL Draft. He set a then-school record with 22 interceptions during his time there, too.

Coleman then returned to Arkansas after his playing career ended and joined the coaching staff at Arkansas Pine Bluff. He was promoted to head coach ahead of the 2008 season, and ended up posting a 40-71 overall record while leading the Golden Lions to the SWAC title in 2012. He split with the university in 2017 after his contract expired. 

"Coach Coleman represented everything we strive for at UAPB excellence, integrity, and a relentless commitment to developing our student-athletes," UAPB athletic director Chris Robinson said in a statement. "His legacy is not only written in championships and honors, but in the lives he changed every single day."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Coco Gauff got sick mid-match Sunday in Madrid. 

But remarkably, vomiting on the court didn’t slow her down. 

Gauff still beat Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the third round of the Madrid Open. But during the second set, Gauff needed to take a medical timeout and sprinted off to the side of the court to throw up. She was checked by medical staff on the sidelines, too, before entering the match again. 

"I don't know how I got it done," Gauff said after her match, via Sky Sports. "Just dealing with a lot of like, trying to keep my food down. But once I threw up, and I was able to throw up after the first set and then throw up again, I felt a little better.”

Gauff is just the latest star to get sick so far in Madrid. Iga Swiatek withdrew from the tournament on Saturday in the middle of her third-round match with Ann Li and said a stomach virus was going through the field. 

"It was just a tough match. I think I got the Madrid stomach virus that's going around,” Gauff said. “I'm usually someone who doesn't get sick, so, I don’t know. My luck today just wasn't good."

Gauff is set to take on Linda Noskova in the fourth round on Monday. Gauff, who is currently ranked No. 3 in the world, reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open earlier this season. She made it to the final at the Miami Open last month, too, but ended up falling to Aryna Sabalenka.