The Houston Rockets kept their season alive on Sunday after beating the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of their first-round series in the 2026 NBA playoffs.
Playing inspired basketball after Alperen Sengun‘s pregame speech, the Rockets dominated the Lakers from start to finish to earn the 115-96 win. Amen Thompson led the way with 23 points, four rebounds and seven assists.
Sengun contributed 19 points and six rebounds, while Tari Eason scored 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting. The Rockets head back to Los Angeles to face the Lakers in Game 5 on Wednesday.
Draymond Green Warns Ime Udoka
GettyHead coach Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets looks on during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Toyota Center on April 12, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka went viral after his comments about his team after their disappointing loss in Game 3. The Rockets were down 3-0 at that point, so frustration had built for Udoka.
“Horrendous mistakes,” Udoka said. “I don’t know if you want to say youth or scared of the moment. You have a six-point lead with 30 seconds to go, get a rebound and just have to hold the ball and get fouled. It’s basically a one-on-four and we throw it away.”
Speaking on the recent episode of The Draymond Green Show, Draymond Green delivered a warning for Udoka regarding his comments. Green wants the coach to be careful because young players tend to quit on their coach, pointing to how the team praised Alperen Sengun for his pregame speech.
“Maybe he knows his team better than I know them, because they responded and they got a game,” Green said, via HoopsHype. “However, everybody made it about what Sengun said pregame, not necessarily what Ime said postgame of Game 3. So I would just warn Ime to be careful there, because in today’s day and age, I’ve had to learn to deal with younger guys. Guys will quit on you. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it all around the league. Guys just quit on the coach.”
The Rockets get to play one more game, but they are still missing Kevin Durant, who is dealing with a sprained ankle.
What Did Rockets Players Say About Alperen Sengun?
GettyAlperen Sengun #28 of the Houston Rockets reacts during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Toyota Center on April 24, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
As mentioned by Draymond Green, multiple Rockets players were raving about Alperen Sengun’s pregame speech. Amen Thompson praised Sengun for the motivation that he brought before their first win of the 2026 NBA playoffs.
“We were all ready,” Thompson said, via Sports Illustrated. “Alpi gave us a motivational speech this morning and we took that and we ran with it. He was just letting us know he didn’t wanna go home. And I was proud of him, just taking that leadership role.”
On the other hand, Tari Eason shared the same sentiment to Michael Shapiro of The Houston Chronicle.
“He made it very clear that we’re resilient, and we’ve put ourselves in a very tough position, but we know that if we do the right things and work really hard and stay very, very focused, anything is possible,” Eason said.
Despite still being down 3-1, Sengun was able to downplay what he did and even joked about his “broken” English.
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