Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick criticized how LeBron James is officiated, and guard Austin Reaves voiced frustration with the referees after the Lakers lost 125-107 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.
After the game, several Lakers players gathered around the officials at midcourt, with Reaves expressing his displeasure to crew chief John Goble. Reaves felt that during a jump ball, Goble crossed a line by yelling in his face.
“At the end of the day, we’re grown men, and I just didn’t feel like he needed to yell in my face like that,” Reaves said. “I told him that. I wasn’t disrespectful. I told him if I did that to him first, I would’ve gotten a tech. I feel like the only reason I didn’t get a tech was because he knew he was in the wrong. I felt disrespected.”
Reaves, Marcus Smart, and Jaxson Hayes each finished with five fouls. The Thunder attempted 26 free throws compared to the Lakers’ 21. The loss sends Los Angeles home trailing 2-0 in the series heading into Game 3 on Saturday.
Redick doesn’t believe the No. 1 seed and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander need extra help from officials. “They’re hard enough to play,” Redick said. “They’re hard to play, and you’ve got to be able to just call them. They foul. They do foul.”
James, who remains effective attacking the rim at age 41, has attempted just five free throws in two games this series. “LeBron has the worst whistle of any star player I’ve ever seen. The smaller guys, because they can be theatric, they typically draw more fouls, and the bigger players that are built like LeBron, it’s hard for them,” Redick said. “They get clobbered, and he got clobbered again tonight a bunch.”
On several occasions, Lakers players were incredulous after calls—or non-calls—from the officiating crew. While the Lakers talked to the officials during and after the game, Thunder players stayed calm. Redick believes that might have benefited Oklahoma City. “I think some of the reason that they’re officiated the way they are is because they don’t show emotion,” Redick said. “And that’s a credit to them. They really take the emotion out of the game. They’re super tight-knit. They don’t complain to the officials, and maybe they’re the beneficiaries of that, I don’t know.”
Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren each scored 22 points for the Thunder. Ajay Mitchell added 20 points and Jared McCain contributed 18 for the defending champions, who improved to 6-0 in the playoffs. Reaves scored 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting, while James followed up his 27-point Game 1 effort with 23 points. The Lakers were again without scoring champion Luka Dončić, who is out indefinitely with a strained left hamstring.
Game 3 is set for Sunday in Los Angeles.
