Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James isn’t going to sugarcoat it, he played a significant role in the team getting blown out by the Houston Rockets in Game 4 on Sunday. James shouldered the blame for the loss after the game, saying the Lakers’ struggles “started with me, obviously.”

It was an extremely muted performance for James, who scored 10 points on 2-of-9 shooting in the 115-96 loss. His struggles from the field were one thing, but his game-leading eight turnovers were what stuck with James following the game. "My turnovers were unacceptable,” he told ESPN.

It was a frustrating performance for most members of the Lakers, who were without both Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves in the loss. James wasn’t the only member of the team who struggled, with both Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard going 3-of-8 from the field.

The one Lakers player who stepped up in the contest didn’t make it to the fourth quarter. Center Deandre put up 19 points before he was ejected in the third quarter after elbowing Alperen Şengün in the head. After the contest, members of the Lakers and Şengün said they didn’t think Ayton should have been ejected for his actions.

With the loss, the Lakers still lead the series 3-1. Prior to Game 4, Houston has struggled without Kevin Durant, who has missed three of the four games in the series due to two different injuries.

Durant’s return would certainly help lift the Rockets moving forward, but pulling off a comeback could be tough. No team has ever rallied back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series in the NBA.

If the Lakers want to keep it that way, the team will need to find a way to pick up the pieces and pull out one more win. Their next opportunity to close out the series will take place Wednesday, when both teams take the court for Game 5.

A word of warning to all broadcasters: If you’re wearing a microphone, don’t risk saying anything that you wouldn’t repeat in front of millions. You never know when that microphone is still on.

Former Alabama coach-turned-analyst Nick Saban learned that the hard way during the first-round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday. As ABC returned from a commercial break, Saban was caught on a hot mic trashing the Dallas Cowboys’ upcoming selection in the draft.

Just before NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced the Cowboys’ selection of edge rusher Malachi Lawrence with the No. 23 overall pick, Saban could be heard saying, “Wow, this is a reach” on the broadcast.

The comment came at an awkward time. The broadcast had just come back from a commercial break, but had not officially welcomed back viewers yet. Saban almost certainly believed his mic was muted or that the program had not come back from break yet when he made that comment. After a few beats of silence, Rece Davis re-introduced the program to viewers.

To Saban’s credit, he didn’t completely walk back that criticism when breaking down the pick on the broadcast, per Awful Announcing.

“Actually, this guy was one of my sleepers for tomorrow,” Saban admitted, which garnered some laughter from the rest of the panel. “But he is a good player … this guy is a good player. I thought he was someone that was getting overlooked in the draft, but obviously the Cowboys didn’t overlook him.”

There’s a difference between bluntly calling a pick a “reach” and saying a team drafted a player you liked in the second round, but at least Saban didn’t lie about his true feelings. Instead, he found a way to make them sound less severe while still getting across the point that he believed Lawrence should have been selected later.

Saban’s critique of the Cowboys on Thursday was only limited to the Lawrence pick. He, like many others, was a big fan of the team trading up to select safety Caleb Downs with the No. 11 overall pick. Some considered Downs to be the best player in the entire draft. Yahoo Sports gave the Downs pick an “A+,” citing his ability to develop into an All-Pro safety moving forward.

The Lawrence pick, on the other hand, received a “C-” grade from Yahoo Sports analyst Charles McDonald. While Lawrence has clear ability as a pass rusher, he could have a lower floor than most first-round picks, leading to his “C-” grade.

Even if the Lawrence move wasn’t celebrated by every analyst, the Cowboys look to have done a solid job overall Thursday. In addition to grabbing Downs, the team traded down for more draft picks before selecting Lawrence.

All of those moves put together make the Cowboys one of the winners from Thursday. It also sets the team up to continue to make big moves Friday and Saturday, especially now that they have some extra picks.