JJ Redick Reacts to Multiple Lakers Players Getting Ejected vs Rockets

The Los Angeles Lakers dropped Game 4 to the Houston Rockets 115-96 on Sunday night, but nobody walked out of Toyota Center talking about the final score.

Two separate ejections overtook the actual basketball and left head coach JJ Redick visibly frustrated at the podium, even with his team still holding a 3-1 series lead.

Deandre Ayton was tossed in the third quarter after referee James Williams assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for contact with Alperen Sengun.

Ayton's arm slipped up Sengun's back and caught him near the head while the two battled in the post, and Williams deemed it excessive after review.

The call stunned both benches, and even the Rockets seemed confused by it.

Redick didn't hold back when asked about the ejections after the game.

"I didn't get a great explanation on Adou. I'm sure James will give you that," Redick said. "DA, he's got such a sweet, kind soul. That wasn't dirty or intentional. He was trying to brace himself with that off arm against Sengun's body and it looked like his arm just kind of slipped. I don't think DA would ever do anything malicious."

The timing made it sting even more.

Ayton was having easily his best game of the series at the time of his ejection, putting up 19 points and 10 rebounds on 9-of-12 shooting before getting thrown out.

He was the only Laker who had any real rhythm going, and losing him in a game where LeBron James was struggling with turnovers turned an already difficult night into a blowout.

Then in the fourth quarter, rookie Adou Thiero and Houston's Aaron Holiday got tangled up during a dead ball sequence with about a minute left.

Williams didn't even go to the monitor to review the play. He just tossed both of them.

It was garbage time, the game was well out of reach, and the whole thing felt completely unnecessary.

The loss was ugly, sure, but the Lakers are still in full control of this first-round matchup against the Rockets.

They've won three straight to open the series, including a dramatic overtime win in Game 3 where LeBron hit a game-tying three in the final seconds.

A team that has already proven it can win without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves is not going to crumble because of one bad night in Houston.

James took responsibility for the loss afterwards and pointed to his eight turnovers as the main issue.

The Lakers turned it over 23 times as a team, and no amount of bad officiating changes the fact that those numbers will lose playoff games.

Game 5 heads back to Crypto.com Arena where the Lakers get another crack at closing this series out on their home floor, and a Flagrant 2 review could also go their way if the league downgrades Ayton's foul before then.