SUMMARY
- Just before Jamal Murray hit the buzzer-beater, LeBron James was fouled on a drive-in layup.
- James went off on referee Curtis Blair after the game, and slammed NBA officials during the press conference.
It wasn’t an easy task for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers to get past the Denver Nuggets in Game 2. However, they made a good effort to show the Nuggets they can score and defend better than them. There wasn’t much competition for LA in 36 minutes of the game as the Nuggets starters barely made shots. During the third quarter, the Lakers had their lead up to 20 points. However, things went downhill in the fourth and Denver won 99-101.
During the game, it seemed as if LeBron James had some struggles in scoring only 9-19 from the field. However, it wasn’t much of a problem since Anthony Davis carried their offense with 32 points and 11 rebounds with some contributions on defense. But scoring wouldn’t have been much of a problem if the referees made proper calls, at least that’s what James hinted at during the press conference after the game.
LeBron James confronted Curtis Blair after being fouled before the buzzer-beater
Footage of LeBron James going after a referee after the Lakers vs Nuggets game went viral on social media. James got triggered after he was fouled on a drive-in layup during the final minutes. The 4x NBA Champion claimed that it should’ve been an And-1 call. While everyone is aware James has a history with Scott Foster, it wasn’t the veteran official he was after this time.
LEAKED Video Of LeBron James Chasing A Ref After No Call👀:
“Why didn’t you call that sh*t? It was right in front of you” pic.twitter.com/zMCLVRRRGm
— LegendZ (@legendz_nba) April 23, 2024
James tried to confront Curtis Blair, who was near him when the foul took place. During the press conference, James said, “I don’t understand what’s going on in the replay center, to be honest. I think I said it this year or last year, D’Lo [also] clearly gets hit in the face on the drive. Why the f**k do we have a replay center… makes no sense to me.”
Michael Porter Jr. hit D’Angelo Russell in the face. MPJ was called for a foul which was then challenged.
Nuggets won the challenge.
Thought? 🤔pic.twitter.com/X01ufZXX4g
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 23, 2024
The player James is referring to was when D’Angelo Russell was smacked across the face on a drive-in layup by Michael Porter Jr. Foster and his team consulted the review center and called off the foul. The Nuggets were given an extra challenge and a timeout as well.
NBA Fans rips LeBron James after a major rant on officials
After the play, LeBron James was seen getting fouled, and Jamal Murray ended up making the final second buzzer-beater that won the Nuggets Game 2. A few plays before that, James had an open look for a three-pointer which would’ve given the Lakers a bigger lead. However, he failed to make that attempt.
Fans trolled James after he ranted to the media about the officials. One fan said, “Such an embarrassment. The guys blew a huge lead and they think it’s all because of a potentially missed call?” Another fan added, “Really? Has the NBA gotten that soft that you want calls like that? They barely call hand-checks anymore. Lebron is the worst.”
Such an embarrassment. The guys blew a huge lead and they think it’s all because of a potentially missed call? 😂.
— Spurs (@MoNSpringBranch) April 23, 2024
Really? Has the NBA gotten that soft that you want calls like that? They barely call hand-checks anymore. Lebron is the worst.
— Elliott Stample 🇺🇸 🇵🇱 🕊️ (@StampleElliott) April 23, 2024
However, the Lakers weren’t the only team suffering with poor officiating but the Philadelphia 76ers had to deal with it as well. Joel Embiid and the Sixers went off on the referees who ignored their time-out request. They also didn’t call a foul when Jalen Brunson grabbed Tyrese Maxey’s jersey on an inbound pass.