Rockets’ Kevin Durant waves goodbye to ex-teammate Deandre Ayton after ejection

The Houston Rockets were fighting for their lives as they hosted the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of their first-round matchup in the playoffs at Toyota Center on Sunday.

The Rockets could not afford to lose after dropping the first three games, including a heartbreaker in Game 3 on Friday.

Tension built up in the third quarter after Deandre Ayton was called for a flagrant 2 foul on Alperen Sengun, leading to an automatic ejection.

Kevin Durant, who remained sidelined by an ankle injury, made sure to rub it in to Ayton, his former teammate, by waving goodbye.

Kevin Durant waives bye to Deandre Ayton after the ejection.

He's so shameless … pic.twitter.com/KY6EfTb8Ub

— BronMuse (@BronMuse) April 27, 2026

Durant and Ayton played together on the Phoenix Suns for one season.

Ayton exited the game with 19 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes. It was his best game of the series.

While he is unable to play, Durant made sure to make his presence felt on the bench, including playing mind games with the Lakers. He was not with the team when he sat out Game 3, which sparked theories from fans that he had already quit on the Rockets.

Houston is dying to bounce back after blowing a six-point lead in the final minute of Game 3, allowing Los Angeles to escape in overtime, 112-108, led by LeBron James and Marcus Smart.

To recall, the Rockets do not like Ayton very much after he took a subtle dig at Clint Capela in February.

As of writing, the Rockets are comfortably ahead of the Lakers in the fourth quarter.

No team has climbed out of a 3-0 deficit to win a series in the playoffs.

The post Rockets’ Kevin Durant waves goodbye to ex-teammate Deandre Ayton after ejection appeared first on ClutchPoints.