
Lakers coach JJ Redick and guard Austin Reaves criticized officiating after a 125-107 playoff loss to the Thunder. Reaves expressed frustration over referee John Goble's treatment during the game, highlighting a disparity in free throw attempts.
Mentioned in this story
Lakers coach JJ Redick criticized the way LeBron James is officiated and guard Austin Reaves complained about treatment from the referees after Los Angeles lost 125-107 to the host Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.
A number of Lakers players gathered around the referees at midcourt after the game and Reaves voiced his frustration to crew chief John Goble. He felt that while players were jockeying for position during a jump ball during the game, Goble crossed the line.
âAt the end of the day, weâre grown men and I just didnât feel like he needed to yell in my face like that,â Reaves said. âI told him that. I wasnât disrespectful. I told him if I did that to him first, I wouldâve gotten a tech. I feel like the only reason I didnât get a tech was because he knew he was in the wrong. I felt disrespected.â
Austin Reaves and the Lakers voice their frustrations to the referees after Thursdayâs game.
Reaves, Marcus Smart and Jaxson Hayes all finished with five fouls. The Thunder took 26 free throws to 21 for the Lakers. The loss sends Los Angeles home facing a 2-0 deficit heading into Game 3 on Saturday.
Redick doesnât think a team with the No 1 seed and the reigning MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needs extra help from the officials.
âTheyâre hard enough to play,â Redick said. âTheyâre hard to play, and youâve got to be able to just call them. They foul. They do foul.â
James, still effective at attacking the rim at age 41, has attempted just five free throws in two games in the series.
âLeBron has the worst whistle of any star player Iâve ever seen. The smaller guys, because they can be theatric, they typically draw more fouls, and the bigger players that are built like LeBron, itâs hard for them,â Redick said. âThey get clobbered, and he got clobbered again tonight a bunch.â
On several occasions, Lakers players were incredulous after calls â or no-calls â from the crew. While the Lakers talked to the officials during and after the game, the Thunder players stayed calm. Redick believes that might have helped them.
âI think some of the reason that theyâre officiated the way they are is because they donât show emotion,â Redick said. âAnd thatâs a credit to them. I mean, they really take the emotion out of the game. Theyâre super tight-knit. They donât complain to the officials, and maybe theyâre the beneficiaries of that, I donât know.â
Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren each scored 22 points for the Thunder. Ajay Mitchell had 20 points and Jared McCain added 18 for the defending champion Thunder, who improved to 6-0 in the playoffs.
Reaves scored 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting, while James, coming off a 27-point effort in Game 1, followed that up with 23. The Lakers again were without scoring champion Luka DonÄiÄ, who is with a strained left hamstring.
JJ Redick criticized the officiating LeBron James receives, calling it the worst among star players.
Austin Reaves voiced his frustration to crew chief John Goble, feeling disrespected by the way he was treated during the game.
The Thunder took 26 free throws compared to 21 for the Lakers during the game.
The Lakers are facing a 2-0 deficit in the playoff series against the Thunder heading into Game 3.
Dodgers secure a 3-1 victory over Braves in opener with Freeman's homer
Victor Wembanyama scored 16 points in the fourth quarter to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 115-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Joel Embiid addresses free-throw discrepancy after Sixers' loss to Knicks
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.
Los Angeles will host Game 3 on Sunday.
Cade Cunningham had 25 points and 10 assists, Tobias Harris scored 21 points, and the Detroit Pistons beat the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 107-97 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in their second-round series.
Game 3 is Saturday in Cleveland, where the Cavs were 4-0 in the first round against Toronto.
The top-seeded Pistons have won five straight games since Orlando put them on the brink of elimination in the first round.
âWeâre going to keep swinging,â reserve guard Daniss Jenkins said. âWeâre still trying to prove something to ourselves.â
Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points and Jarrett Allen had 22 points and seven rebounds, bouncing back from a poor performance in Game 1 for the fourth-seeded Cavs.