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The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers express frustration over officiating in their games against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Both teams highlight the aggressive defensive style of the Thunder that often goes unpunished.
Way back in November, Phoenix Suns All-Star Devin Booker drew attention for his postgame comments about Oklahoma Cityâs defense following a 123-119 road loss.
"The secret is out,â Booker said. âThey do speed you up. They play aggressive. They'll grab, they'll hold, but it's never like when you're in a shooting position. It's always on the handle or on your drives when they get away with it.â
He wasnât the first to speak on this.
The Los Angeles Lakers are the latest to vent after Thursdayâs 125-107 loss May 7 as they trail the defending NBA champions 2-0 in this Western Conference semifinals series.
âI sarcastically said the other day that theyâre the most disruptive team without fouling,â Lakers coach JJ Redick said after Game 2. âThey have a few guys that foul on every possession and all the good defenses do.â
Game 3 of this best-of-7 series is May 9 in Los Angeles. Oklahoma City is the top overall seed in the playoffs while the Lakers are fourth seed in the West.
âTheyâre hard enough to play,â Redick later said. âYou've got to be able to call it if they foul, and they do foul.â
The Suns faced the Thunder a season-high nine times this season.  Oklahoma City swept Phoenix in the first round of the playoffs.
If any team understands how the Thunder play, itâs the Suns.
Phoenixâs level of frustration reached a high point after Game 2 on April 22, in Oklahoma City, in which Dillon Brooks and Booker snapped over the officiating.
âYa'll should be interviewing the officials,â Brooks said after the game. âThat should be a new thing in the NBA. Officials got to explain themselves because it's getting ridiculous when you can see it. It starts getting fiery. No control out there. Now they're just whistling on one side.â
Booker took it a step further in calling out referee James Williams.
âIn my 11 years, I haven't called a ref out by name, but James was terrible tonight through and through,â Booker said. âIt's bad for the sport, bad for the integrity of the sport. People are going to start viewing this as the WWE if they're not held responsible.â
Devin Booker criticized the Thunder's aggressive defense, stating they often get away with fouling during ball handling and drives.
The Lakers are frustrated, trailing 2-0 in the Western Conference semifinals and expressing concerns about the Thunder's disruptive defensive tactics.
JJ Redick sarcastically remarked that the Thunder are the 'most disruptive team without fouling,' indicating his belief that they frequently foul without being called.
The Los Angeles Lakers are currently down 2-0 in their playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Booker received a technical foul during the game as did Brooks and Thunder guard Lu Dort on a double technical.
The NBA later fined Booker $35,000 for âpublic criticism of the officiating,â but it also rescinded the technical fouls on Booker, Brooks and Dort.
"I read it as, you were right, but you can't say anything about it,â Booker said after the Game 3 loss April 25 in Phoenix.
The Lakers have now played the Thunder six times. Game 2 led to the Lakers showing their frustration with what they feel is one-sided officiating.
âItâs a different game,â Lakers forward Rui Hachimura said after Thursdayâs loss while shaking his head.
Moments after Game 2 ended, Lakers guard Austin Reaves had what amounted to a face-to-face conference call with lead official John Goble and referee Ben Taylor at halfcourt, as LeBron James and several Lakers stood there showing support.
Reaves explained after the game feeling disrespected when he felt Goble yelled at him while he was trying to get position on a jump ball. Reaves had words for Goble during that moment as Luka Doncic was the first Laker to come over and try to calm him down.
Typical complaints about Oklahoma City range from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drawing fouls to people feeling as if the Thunder flop to get fouls to being grabby on defense.
Opponents often note being called for more fouls and shooting fewer free throws.
The Lakers ended Game 2 with 26 fouls, five fewer than the Thunder. Los Angeles attempted 21 free throws, making 18.  Oklahoma City as many as the Lakers attempted, going 21-of-26.
âSGA gets like, I donât even know, a touch foul I guess on a drive,â Redick said. âThere was a stretch on four straight possessions our guys got absolutely clobbered. Trying to make an entry pass to Jaxson (Hayes) and Jaylin Williams is grabbing his jersey with both arms.â
Redick further drove home his point by saying James has âthe worst whistle of any star player I've ever seen,â but added this isnât âspecific to this (officiating) crew or this series.â
Gilgeous-Alexander went 8-of-9 in Game 2 while James was just 4-of-4.
James only attempted one free throw in Game 1, which the Lakers lost, 108-90. Gilgeous-Alexander was just 2-of-3 that Cinco De Mayo night in Oklahoma City.
Part of this is the Lakers sending a message in hopes of balanced officiating Game 3. Part of it also is facing the best team in the league and feeling the odds against them.
Doncic remains sidelined for L.A., with a hamstring injury.
Thatâs making this series even more challenging for the Lakers, but the Thunder are down their second-best player in Jalen Williams, also with a hamstring injury, but continue to roll.
Oklahoma City has established a style in the last three years thatâs led to having the NBAâs best defense, a league-best 189 wins during that stretch, and Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, receiving a respectful whistle.
âUsually the more physical team and the team that imposes their will more just wins," Gilgeous-Alexander said after Game 2.
âThatâs probably why we won tonight. Thatâs probably why we won the last game. We did a really good job, especially in the second half, of playing our style of basketball. Being physical, pressuring them, making things uncomfortable.â
The Lakers committed 21 turnovers that led to 26 Oklahoma City points in Game 2.
Los Angeles' LeBron James (23) argues a call Game 2 of the NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, May, 7, 2026.
Los Angeles had 13 of those 21 turnovers in the second half and the Thunder converted those into 17 points, outscoring the Lakers, 68-49, after the break.
âYouâre not going to be perfect,â Reaves said in a media scrum in the visiting locker room at Paycom Center after Game 2. âTry to eliminate the live-ball turnovers when they get easy fast-break layups or 3s or dunks.â
In two games, the Lakers have 39 total turnovers.
Oklahoma City has scored 46 points off those miscues.
Phoenix can relate.
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker argues with referee James Williams after he was hit with a technical foul in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Suns committed 64 turnovers that resulted in 85 Thunder points in their series.
The Suns took better care of the ball in Game 3 and 4 in tallying just 23 total turnovers.
Oklahoma City only scored 29 points off those, but Gilgeous-Alexander erupting for 42 in Game 3 and the Thunder shooting 17-of-34 from 3 in Game 4 doomed the Suns.
Still, forcing and scoring off turnovers, two categories in which Oklahoma City ranks top three in the NBA in the regular season and playoffs, leads to the same questions.
Are the opponents too careless? Is Oklahoma Cityâs defense really that good? Are the referees allowing the Thunder to get away with too much physicality?
The postgame Game 2 comments from Thunder big Chet Holmgren, 2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year runner up to unanimous winner, San Antonio Spurs 7-4 phenom Victor Wembanyama, are worth noting when debating how Oklahoma City wins.
âWe did a great job of being physical, but understanding when and where we can be physical,â Holmgren said. âYou can be reckless out there if the goal is just to be physical, but I feel like we did a good job of kind of directing it to where it needed to be.â
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns know how Lakers feel after facing Thunder 9 times