Los Angeles Lakers Deandre Ayton got ejected from Sunday’s closeout Game 4 against the Houston Rockets in the third quarter. Ayton elbowed Alperen Sengun while guarding his drive in the paint. It was initially a personal foul, but the referees reviewed it and gave him a Flagrant 2, which ended his night early.
The Lakers were down 76-57 when the incident occurred. Ayton was the only one making an impact after recording 19 points and 10 rebounds on 9 of 12 shots. With Los Angeles already down 20 points, Ayton’s ejection didn’t sit well with the Lakers fans online.
They felt the referees deliberately deemed it excessive to hand the Rockets a season-saving win. While Ayton elbowed Sengun, it didn’t feel forced as he didn’t extend his arm. While it was a Flagrant, upgrading it to Flagrant 2 seemed harsh given the circumstances of the game.
Here’s the video of the foul:
Here’s how Lakers fans reacted to Deandre Ayton’s ejection:
“That got him ejected yea refs giving free wins in the playoffs let’s just head home lmao they gave them this one,” one fan said.
“That’s absolutely ridiculous, his arm slipped off of Sengun’s sweaty a**,” another said.
“I mean the rockets paid off the refs lmaooooo,” one fan added.
“How much did they pay the refs man f**k the Rockets that’s why they’re gonna lose game 5 by 30,” one fan wrote.
“ridiculous that THIS is what got him ejected,” one fan said.
Deandre Ayton’s ejection could put spotlight on lopsided officiating in Game 4 of Lakers-Rockets
Deandre Ayton’s ejection could trigger a widespread discussion among Lakers fans on the lopsided officiating in Game 4 against the Rockets on Sunday. Through three quarters, the Rockets had 25 free throw attempts to the Lakers’ 15. Alperen Sengun alone made 13 trips to the foul line. His counterpart, Ayton, had just one.
This was despite the Lakers scoring an equal amount of points in the paint after they couldn’t get it going from the 3-point line. However, the Lakers struggled beyond the questionable refereeing calls, too, making an argument for Rockets fans that it wasn’t the only reason behind the outcome.
