NBA Playoffs: LeBron fails to deliver as Lakers lose to Rockets; Wembanyama triumphant on Spurs return

With the Lakers still missing their top scorers in injured Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, LeBron James failed to make a substantial impact as his side lost to Houston Rockets. Houston Rockets routed Los Angeles Lakers 115-96 on Sunday to stay alive in the NBA playoffs, while Victor Wembanyama made a triumphant return to put San Antonio Spurs on the brink of advancing. Amen Thompson scored 23 points to fuel the Rockets, who bounced back from a crushing overtime loss on Friday to cut the deficit in their best-of-seven Western Conference series to 3-1. The Spurs and Boston Celtics took commanding 3-1 leads in their series, the former rallying from 19 points down to beat the Trail Blazers 114-93 in Portland and the latter thrashing the 76ers 128-96 in Philadelphia. In Toronto, the Raptors edged the Cleveland Cavaliers 93-89 to level their series at two games apiece. Denied a sweep in Houston, the Lakers can still finish off the Rockets when they host game five on Wednesday. The Rockets, still without star Kevin Durant, harried the Lakers into 24 turnovers, yielding 30 Houston points. Four-time NBA champion LeBron James made just two of nine attempts from the floor on the way to 10 points. He handed out nine assists but made eight turnovers. With the Lakers still missing their top scorers in injured Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, centre Deandre Ayton led the side with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Tari Eason added 20 points, and Rockets centre Alperen Sengun scored 19. The Rockets are trying to become the first NBA team to rally from a 0-3 deficit to win a playoff series. Victor Wembanyama, named the 2026 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, returned after missing one game due to a concussion and scored 27 points with 11 rebounds, three assists, four steals, and seven blocked shots. San Antonio’s De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 28 points, and the Spurs outscored the Trail Blazers 73-35 in the second half. The Celtics spoiled the return of 76ers star Joel Embiid, who played his first game since an emergency appendectomy on April 9. Payton Pritchard scored 32 points off the bench, and Jayson Tatum scored 30 points with seven rebounds and 11 assists for the Celtics. In Toronto, Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram scored 23 points apiece as the Raptors held off the Cavaliers despite making just four of 30 from three-point range. Donovan Mitchell scored 20 points to lead the Cavs, and James Harden added 19, but Mitchell missed two attempts in the final 30 seconds as Barnes made six free throws down the stretch to seal the game.