fail

HOUSTON — The Lakers still have control of this first-round series, even after the blow they took from the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.

As ugly as their 115-96 loss was, the Lakers still hold a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference series.

All the Lakers have to do is win Game 5 on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena and they will advance to the second round.

But they will have to play better than they did in Game 4.

LeBron James, who played a stellar 45 minutes during the Lakers’ overtime win Friday night, wasn’t as spry. He had just 10 points, reaching double figures on a floater with 8:37 left and the Lakers down 26.

He was just two for nine from the field and he had eight turnovers. James also had nine assists and became the first player in NBA history to record 3,000 field goals in the playoffs.

Luke Kennard was quiet with seven points, and Marcus Smart had nine, both on three-for-eight shooting. Rui Hachimura had 13 points on six-for-10 shooting.

The bigger concern was the Lakers’ inability to take care of the ball. They turned it over 24 times, their most in the series, though they’ve had 20 or more in three of the four games.

All of Houston’s starters scored in double figures. Amen Thompson had 23 points and seven assists, and Alperen Sengen finished with 19 points and six rebounds.

When the Lakers went down by 17 points in the third quarter on a Thompson basket that was part of Houston’s 12-4 run to open the frame, Lakers coach JJ Redick called a timeout to allow his players to collect themselves.

Lakers star LeBron James drives to the basket over Houston’s Reed Sheppard, left, and Alperen Sengun during the first half Sunday.

(Karen Warren / Associated Press)

It didn’t help, as the Lakers’ deficit swelled to 26 points.

It didn’t get better for the Lakers later in the quarter when Deandre Ayton was ejected because of a flagrant foul for his left elbow striking Sengun on the side of the head.

Ayton was having one of his best games in the playoffs, bouncing back from two quiet efforts to post 19 points and 10 rebounds before he was ejected with 5:41 left in the third quarter.

Austin Reaves shot before the game in an attempt to play for the first time since being injured April 2 at Oklahoma City, and again he was downgraded from questionable to out because of a left oblique muscle strain.

In the end, the Lakers saw no need to rush Reaves back considering how they had dominated the series. Two days off before Game 5 will give Reaves more time to get healthy.

“It’s fair to consider everything,” Redick said. “Austin and I had a conversation yesterday for a long time, and I think ultimately the athlete has to feel confidence, and that’s always the final hurdle coming back from an injury, is the psychological component of it.”

For the Rockets, Kevin Durant missed his third game of the series because of a bone bruise in his sprained left ankle.

Lakers point guard Luka Doncic (Grade 2 left hamstring strain) continues to work out on the court, but there’s no timetable for his return.

“[He] was able to move a little bit today on the court, which, you know, most of the stuff had been stand-still,” Redick said. “So he’s progressing, but no update on any timeline or anything like that.”

With its sunsoaked Californian desert setting, A-list celeb guests and top music acts, hip US festival Coachella might look like the dream destination when scrolling through the Instagram feed of one of the myriad of Love Island stars in attendance.

But while influencers are given the VIP experience, thanks to the brands who pay big bucks to take them there for free, the reality for normal punters can be a whole different story.

As the cult festival kicks off its second consecutive weekend in Palm Springs, social media has been awash with complaints from regular folk exposing the ‘truth’ about what it’s like to go there as a non VIP – and it makes for some pretty grim reading.

From nightmarish queues for cold showers, to hefty £3,000 price tags for three days at the event, various TikTok testimonials may make you think twice before booking for next year’s gig.

As someone who went as a normal person and not as an influencer, it was one of the worst concert experiences I’ve ever had,” TikTok user @lottiestars ranted in a recent social media video.

“Firstly, there’s no place for you to be dropped off. The festival is, like, really disorganised. So I remember we asked 20 different people: ‘Where do we go?’ and they they were like: ‘Oh, we don’t know’. And they actually worked for the event! So you’ll end up sitting in traffic for most of the time before you can find a spot and get dropped off.”

PARTIED HARD

Love Island’s Chloe & Millie admit they were thrown OUT of VIP at Coachella

PEACHY SNAP

Sabrina Carpenter flashes bum in tiny denim hotpants ahead of Coachella

She added that when she then finally arrived, the event proved a nightmare for her pal who was disabled.

“You have another what feels like an hour long walk to actually get into the festival, you have to do is on this super dusty, bumpy, unpaved road, which was really hard for my friend because they were in a wheelchair… they kept getting knocked over and falling out of their wheelchair, so it was not like wheelchair accessible.”

Once inside the venue, Lottie alleged that the atmosphere was not enjoyable thanks to a myriad of influencers creating a stressful environment.

“Everyone’s vibe is really, really bad. A lot of people were pretty mean. They’re like, ‘No, you’re not coming this way and stuff, you can’t go through’ so it’s harder to work your way through the crowd or to reconnect through your friends.

“It’s not as easy to take cute pictures as you think. Literally, everyone’s taking pictures. It’s like a field of cow, but instead of cows, it’s people.”

To top it all, Lottie wrapped up her video by claiming she got sick from the notorious desert winds.

She said: “I was so sick because during the daytime, it’s burning hot, and then at nighttime, it’s freezing cold, and the dust is really, really intense. Like, you’ll blow your nose, and they’ll be black dirt coming out of your nose.

“The third night, I couldn’t even enjoy the festival, and I probably was only there for like 30 minutes and I had to leave.”

And it seems this is far from a one-off negative review.

The Strokes fan @emilyjadebispo says her experience watching her favourite band was ruined by influencers who were only there to watch Justin Bieber and had no idea about ‘festival etiquette’.

She claimed: “The people around me who were there for Justin Bieber were f***ing insufferable. Oh, my God. It’s like they have never been to a festival before. They have no idea what it’s like that other genres exist.

“They are just completely unaware of any sort of concert etiquette at all. The people to my left, during one of my favourite bands sets, were talking the entire time saying: ‘I don’t even know who this is. What even is this? This is really honestly killing my vibe for Bieber.’”

For those who camp and aren’t holed up in pricey villas like the influencer crowd, some describe the experience as “endurance training.”

@huioyg3 said in one TikTok video: “Basic shower access has turned into a survival challenge, people are waiting in line for hours just to get a quick rinse, often with freezing cold water.

“To avoid this nightmare, some festival goers are spending hundreds of dollars on portable shower setups, building their own tents just to maintain a sense of hygiene.

“Another issue is making things worse, extreme heat. Phones are overheating, energy levels are dropping, and what’s supposed to be a fun four day experience is starting to feel more like endurance training.”

Of course, the biggest issue for many is how the festival impacted their wallet.

General admission tickets cost around $799 [£590] for three days, while VIP – which allows you to get closer to the stage and gives you a shuttle pass into the venue – will mean you shell out even more, clocking in around $1299 [£959].

“Coachella started as a low price event to protest against high cost events,” one music fan vented online.

“How are people affording this?” fumed another.

Some, however, claimed it was worth the price of VIP.

“It was 100% worth it We do get closer viewing to some of the stages. And honestly, when the big performers do come out, it gets super packed,” said tiktok user @noesilva

If you shun camping though, hotels can be extortionate due to high demand, as Noa explains.

“Next thing I spent money on was a hotel, which was the most expensive part. It was $2,300 [£1698] for three nights, and I know it sounds like a lot of money, but for me personally, I was not going to go camping.

And finally, you got to think of all the extra expenses that are probably gonna be happening during the trip, which is food, drinks, merch, like all the extra stuff that you’re going to be paying for, and realistically, that’s going to cost me around $500 [£370]. So in total, this trip is costing me around $4,000 [£2950].”

Another furious former Coachella fan, Nick Holiday, summed it up in a top-rated TikTok video.

“They’re charging $100 [£74]for one bite of caviar, four chicken nuggets and seven french fries. That’s honestly a crime against humanity.”

April 12 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. Navy will block the Strait of Hormuz to cut off Iran’s shipping lanes after peace talks in Pakistan failed to produce a deal.

Vice President J.D. Vance, who Trump sent to negotiate a deal to end the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, said Saturday that the talks were not successful because the two sides cannot agree on what to do about the Iranian nuclear stockpile and who will control the Strait, CNN and The Washington Post reported.

Trump told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo that the United States was going to block the Strait — it will “take a little while, but it’ll be effective pretty soon,” he said — and that nations in the Gulf region have agreed to help in the effort.

The blockade, he said, will prevent “any and all ships” from entering or leaving the the waterway, including vessels belonging to Iran, which have been shipping its oil to other countries and reportedly been bringing weapons parts from China to the Middle Eastern nation.

Vance told reporters early Sunday morning that while Iran had not yet accepted the United States’ “final and best offer,” he expressed optimism that a deal can be reached.

“We just could not get to a situation where the Iranians were willing to accept our terms,” Vance said. “I think that we were quite flexible.”

In a post on X, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is Iran’s leading negotiator in the talks, said that he and his colleagues had “raised forward looking initiatives, but the opposing side ultimately failed to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations.”

“Before the negotiations, I emphasized that we have the necessary good faith and will, but due to the experiences of the two previous wars, we have no trust in the opposing side,” he said.

SABRINA Carpenter has apologised after she was accused of being “rude” and “mean” during her Coachella set.

The Espresso hitmaker called a fan “weird” for yodelling during her headline performance.

In footage posted to X, Sabrina looked confused to hear the high-pitched note.

Addressing the audience, the singer said: “I think I heard someone yodel.”

She then singled out the fan, saying: “Is that what you’re doing? I don’t like it.”

The audience member responded that yodelling was part of their culture and used as a form of celebration.

read more on sabrina carpenter

WHO’S THAT CURL

Sabrina Carpenter unrecognisable as she ditches trademark blonde locks

PRISON BREAK

Inside cushy jail with rumoured celeb inmate where lags play Sabrina Carpenter

Sabrina seemed surprised by the explanation, replying: “That’s your culture, yodeling?” before adding, “Is this Burning Man? What’s going on? This is weird,” followed by a brief laugh.

She then continued with the show, performing tracks including Taste, Please Please Please and We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night.

However, the moment didn’t go down well online. After the performance, social media users criticised her reaction.

One Reddit user wrote they had been enjoying the set until the comment, calling it “really rude.”

Another said her response showed a “total lack of respect,” adding that even after the cultural explanation, the reaction remained inappropriate.

Others suggested the incident could spark wider backlash, while some on X questioned whether she had dismissed someone’s culture as “weird.”

Still, not everyone agreed with the criticism. Some fans defended Carpenter, arguing she likely couldn’t properly hear what was being said from the stage.

One person wrote on X: “Sabrina saying that she doesn’t like a cultural Arabic cheer… this is so insensitive and Islamophobic. I am very disappointed in her.”

Sabrina took to X to apologise, writing: “My apologies i didn’t see this person with my eyes and couldn’t hear clearly.

“My reaction was pure confusion, sarcasm and not ill intended. Could have handled it better! Now I know what a Zaghrouta is! I welcome all cheers and yodels from here on out.”

Earlier in the set, Carpenter had shared her excitement about headlining the festival, telling the crowd: “I can’t believe I’m headlining Coachella! I mean, I can a little bit, but it’s nicer to say that, right?”

Susan Sarandon also made a surprise cameo during Sabrina’s performance.

The Thelma and Louise star, 79, played an older version of Sabrina, and gave a long monologue.

This riled some fans up, who joked that it went on for too long.

The 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is taking place across two weekends in Indio, California.

Carpenter joins Justin Bieber and Karol G as headliners, alongside a wide-ranging lineup including Anyma, Young Thug, Turnstile, David Byrne, FKA twigs, Addison Rae and Ethel Cain.

Veteran acts Iggy Pop, Moby and Devo are also on the bill, while Radiohead appear under a mysterious note referencing Kid A Mnesia. The xx and The Strokes are also set to return.

This comes after Coachella attendees were hit with last-minute cancellations.

Influencers across social media said their short-term rental accommodations through apps like Airbnb were cancelled last minute.

One TikTok user Andrea (@dreaviews) posted to the social media platform sharing that her Airbnb reservation was cancelled by the host just days before the festival.

“I booked everything back in September and they just cancelled my Airbnb reservation this morning,” she explained in the post.

“Very inconsiderate of the Airbnb host to just leave us hanging like that. Everything happens for a reason, but I’m just so sad and disappointed,” she added.

Another TikTok user Dania (@ladaniia) shared that her reservation was cancelled after the host wanted to up the per-night price for the stay.

“They want to raise the price to $1,600 from $500 a night,” they explained in the post.

“What are we supposed to do now? There’s like, three weeks left and everything else is like, $10,000,” she added.

While Andrea later updated that she was able to find a new place to stay, Dania has provided no such update post as of this writing.

Despite these accounts and others appearing on various social media platforms, Airbnb claims it is “not seeing any notable uptick in cancellations over Coachella weekends” per a statement provided to Los Angeles CW affiliate KTLA.

“We know host cancellations can disrupt plans, which is why we have deterrents, including cancellation fees, calendar blocks to prevent rebooking, and a ban on relisting for a higher price, as well as 24/7 guest support,” the statement from an Airbnb spokesperson continued.

The Sun US contacted Airbnb for comment.

SIR David Beckham was just miles from his estranged son Brooklyn in LA on Monday — but the pair failed to meet.

Insiders said Becks, 50, was in the US city for work following a ski break in Canada with son Romeo.

Brooklyn, 27, and his wife Nicola, 31, live in Los Angeles and were at Sir Elton John’s Aids Foundation Oscars viewing party on Sunday.

A source said: “David was in Los Angeles for a new ad campaign, but given Brooklyn’s decision to cut off his family, there was no meeting between them.

“David had just come back from a ski trip with Romeo and friends in Canada when he flew to Los Angeles for work.

“Brooklyn would have just been miles away from him in the house he shares with Nicola.”

Read More on Beckham Feud

NIC’S PICS

Nicola Peltz goes topless for racy mirror snap ahead of Brooklyn’s birthday

THE LOVE OF GORD

Gordon Ramsay enjoys kiss from wife after wading into Becks’ Brooklyn feud

The Sun first revealed how Brooklyn had cut off his family last year in a multi-pronged row.

In October insiders confirmed Brooklyn had no interest in making amends with his family.

By January he was communicating with them through lawyers.

Days later, Brooklyn released a bombshell statement confirming the story.

He went on to make allegations against his family, including claiming fashion designer Victoria had “hijacked” his first dance with Nicola at their wedding in 2022.

As well as cutting off his famous parents, Brooklyn is no longer in contact with his brothers Romeo, 23, and Cruz, 21, and sister Harper, 14, after blocking them on social media.

Yesterday, musician Cruz revealed the lyrics to a new song, Loneliest Boy, which appears to allude to Brooklyn.

On the track, Cruz sings: “Loneliest boy, mama don’t talk too much. It’s breaking her heart.

“It shows in the small things that you don’t do.

“I guess in the end that it’s you, yourself, and you.

“Tell me how do you live, when you’ve got nobody to lose?”

Brooklyn and wife Nicola were all smiles when they were invited by his godfather Sir Elton to be guests at his Oscars bash in Los Angeles on Sunday night.

Yesterday, Nicola shared a series of pictures of the night on her Instagram, including a black and white photo of her and Brooklyn.

She wrote: “What a beautiful evening for such an important cause. Thank you for having us Elton John and David Furnish, we love you both so much.”

On Sunday, Brooklyn’s social media followers rounded on him after he shared photos of mother-in-law, Claudia Peltz, who had celebrated her 71st birthday a few days earlier.

His post coincided with Mother’s Day. Mum Victoria shared tributes from Romeo, Cruz and Harper on Instagram, but fans noted there was no message from Brooklyn.

Those close to Brooklyn and Nicola said there was no going back in the feud with his parents.

A source said: “Brooklyn has said his piece. He is done. Moving on with his life with Nicola is his priority now.”

OTTAWA — Linus Ullmark made 23 saves for his second shutout of the season and the Ottawa Senators blanked the Ducks 2-0 on Saturday.

Michael Amadio and Thomas Chabot scored for Ottawa. Shane Pinto had two assists. It was the 14th shutout of Ullmark’s career. The Senators have won four of five.

Ville Husso stopped 27 shots for the Ducks.

Nick Cousins won a battle along the boards, which sprung Pinto down the ice. Pinto fed Amadio on a 2-on-1 and he made no mistake, beating Husso short-side 3:54 into the second period.

At the 9:21 mark of the second period, the Senators capitalized on a turnover. Pinto intercepted a pass and found Chabot in the high slot for his seventh goal of the season and second career short-handed score.

Anaheim challenged for goaltender interference but was unsuccessful.

Warren Foegele had a couple of chances from close range in the opening period, but just couldn’t settle a bouncing puck.

Husso then stopped Amadio on a short-handed 2-on-1 breakaway.

Amadio later drew a penalty, but Husso made a big glove save on Tim Stutzle on the Senators’ power play.

Up next: Ducks: at Montreal on Sunday; Senators: host San Jose Sharks on Sunday.