LeBron James led the Los Angeles Lakers players in discussing the officiating after a bitter defeat in Game 2 of the NBA Playoffs 2024 series against the Denver Nuggets.

Lamenting their loss by a score of 101-99, courtesy of Jamal Murray’s buzzer-beating game-winner, the Lakers players and coaching staff expressed their disappointment. They squandered a 20-point lead early in the third quarter and a 6-point advantage with around 3 minutes remaining in the game.

The Lakers team seemed to engage in self-blame, but some players directed criticism toward others, specifically the referees. LeBron James was among those who openly expressed discontent with the officiating and the NBA Replay Center’s decision-making process. “Honestly, I don’t know what they do in the Replay Center anymore,” James candidly shared. “We had a player getting hit straight in the face. They reviewed it, and they called that a no-foul. So, what are we using the Replay Center for in those situations? I don’t understand.”

LeBron specifically pointed out the incident involving D’Angelo Russell being struck in the face by Michael Porter Jr. of the Denver Nuggets after a drive. Initially, the referees blew the whistle for a foul on Denver.

However, after reviewing the slow-motion footage, the referees ultimately determined it was not a foul but a natural hand motion.

No free throws were awarded as the referees rescinded the foul call on Porter Jr.

Regarding the mentioned play, LeBron James highlighted that the referees reversed their decision, not awarding the Lakers any free throws. After the game, D’Angelo Russell refrained from interacting with the media but shared his thoughts on the situation on social media, stating, “It was a foul that we all saw, clearly on national television.”

The Lakers held a 79-69 lead when the incident occurred with 39.5 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Russell’s two free throws were rescinded, effectively nullifying his scoring opportunity as he had a high success rate at the free-throw line.

Ironically, those two points became a source of frustration for the Lakers as they ultimately lost by a slim 2-point margin due to Jamal Murray’s buzzer-beater.

In addition to discussing his team’s game, LeBron James also mentioned the officiating in Game 2 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks. In that game, the referees seemed to overlook two more obvious situations, including a jersey grab and a denial of the 76ers’ timeout request.

“Nothing makes sense, and it’s frustrating. And we saw what happened in the Sixers-Knicks game, right? So, what are we really doing here?” LeBron James remarked.

Immediately after speaking, James stood up and abruptly ended the press conference. Anthony Davis followed suit, similarly walking out after another question related to Jamal Murray.

LeBron James recorded 26 points, 12 assists, and 8 rebounds, but missed a wide-open 3-pointer just before Jamal Murray hit the game-winning shot.

Alongside the “King,” Anthony Davis contributed 32 points and 11 rebounds on an impressive 14-of-19 shooting from the field. However, Davis struggled to score in the fourth quarter. Part of this was due to his foul trouble, as he committed his fourth personal foul (an offensive foul) with 2 minutes and 41 seconds remaining in the third quarter, leading Coach Darvin Ham to sub him out.

In the fourth quarter, Davis played more cautiously on both ends of the court and seemed to be affected mentally. He only attempted one shot and failed to score.

“There were moments where we didn’t know what we were doing on both offense and defense. And those situations cost us the game,” Davis revealed. “Now, we have to win Game 3. That’s the only goal for me and the entire team. It’s that simple.”

D’Angelo Russell echoed AD’s sentiments, believing that the Lakers performed well for most of the game and needed to build on that. “Throughout the game, I felt like we were going to win. Some adjustments will help us be more prepared in Game 3.”

“In the end, we, the players, need to focus on what we can control and try not to let external factors (referring to the referees) affect the game’s outcome anymore.”

After the first two games of the NBA Playoffs 2024 first-round series, the Denver Nuggets successfully defended their home-court advantage. Now, the series transitions to two consecutive games at the Los Angeles Lakers’ home arena, where the tension and unpredictability could rise if the LA team replicates what Denver achieved.