LeBron James Blasts Officials & Replay Center Following Lakers Game 2 Collapse

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 05: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half during the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinals at Crypto.com Arena on December 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Following a 101-99 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday night, basketball’s GOAT LeBron James had some words to share on the officiating crew. It was a game where the Lakers seemed to be in control until the Nuggets came alive in the last five minutes and chipped away at what was once a 20-point lead to eventually win the game on a fadeaway jumper from star guard Jamal Murray.

James had a specific issue with a play challenged in the third quarter by Nuggets head coach Mike Malone, where a foul by Michael Porter Jr. on D’Angelo Russell was overturned in the replay center in the third quarter.

“I don’t understand what’s going on in the replay center, to be honest,” James said. “[Russell] clearly gets hit in the face on a drive; what the f— do we have a replay center for if it’s going to go? It doesn’t make sense to me. Makes no sense to me. It bothers me.”

James also mentioned the controversy in the Sixers-Knicks game on Monday night.

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“Then I just saw what happened with the Sixers-Knicks game, too. What are we doing?” James said.

As James was leaving the press conference, he was heard saying, “It’s f—ing stupid,” regarding the officiating.

At the time of the foul, the Lakers were up by ten points with 45 seconds left in the third quarter, but the Nuggets were in the midst of a 14-5 scoring run. Porter made clear contact with Russell’s face on his way to the basket, but crew chief Scott Foster said the contact was “marginal” coming out of the replay center, and the call was reversed. After the game, Russell went to social media and shared the same sentiment that James and every Laker fan shared, writing, “That’s a foul. We all saw it on national television.”

The Lakers will return to Los Angeles to host games three and four and try to tie the series before heading back to Denver.

“Protect home,” James said. “That’s where my mindset goes. And obviously, the only game that matters now is Game 3 and how we can get better, how we can figure this team out. So, Game 3 is where my mindset is.”

If they don’t win game 3, the Lakers will have to become the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win the series and continue their playoff run.

Nathan Weick