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Deandre Ayton delivered a blunt and emotional assessment after his ejection in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 115-96 Game 4 loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.
The Lakers center, who finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds before being ejected in the third quarter, addressed the play that led to the flagrant 2 call directly.
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“I was really just trying to brace the contact with Sengun going and we both sweaty guys,” Ayton said, explaining the sequence that resulted in the foul.
He maintained there was no intent behind the contact. “My elbow hit him right there above his shoulders and it got, it look crazy on camera, but I’m not no guy who’s a dirty player,” he said.
Ayton added that the movement was accidental in nature and tied to balance in contact. “I just slipped off his shoulder and it literally my elbow hit him right there above the shoulders,” he said.
The Lakers big man rejected any suggestion of malicious intent. “I don’t play like that in ways. If anything of me trying to play dirty, I definitely hurt myself,” he said.
He also expressed concern for Alperen Sengun after the collision. “I just hope he’s all right and don’t think it was intentional,” Ayton said.
The league veteran confirmed the severity of the moment in his career timeline. “It is my first ejection. I’ve never yeah. There you go. Eight years later, it’s my first one,” he said.
Before the ejection, Ayton was one of the Lakers’ most productive players as Los Angeles struggled to maintain offensive consistency against Houston’s pressure defense.
When asked about the flow of the game, Ayton pointed to execution and shooting swings as the turning point. “I think the making shots down the line kind of got us and got them in transition,” he said.
Despite the loss, Ayton said the team matched Houston’s physical approach in stretches. “Rockets brought some intensity, but I felt like we matched it in spurts as well,” he said.
He also addressed the team’s emotional response heading into Game 5, showing frustration after the setback. “We’re pretty angry. I’m pretty angry,” Ayton said.
Looking ahead, he made it clear the Lakers expect a higher level of urgency at home. “I’m licking my chops. Trust me. I’ve been here before,” he said.
Ayton added that the energy around the series has intensified heading into Los Angeles. “I love what the crowd brought the energy and it was perfect,” he said.
On preparation, he emphasized film work and internal adjustments to limit mistakes that have hurt the Lakers throughout the series. “Knowing my spacing… just watching that repetitively and just keeping consistency,” he said.
Game 5 now shifts back to Los Angeles with the Lakers still holding the series advantage, but momentum clearly tightening after Houston’s decisive win.
