Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James took aim at the officials after his squad blew a large lead and lost Game 2 101-99 to the Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers led by as many as 20 in the third quarter, but the Nuggets hung around and kept fighting back with a home crowd on their side. With the game tied, James missed a wide-open 3-pointer with 16 seconds left. On the other end, Jamal Murray sunk the game-winner over Anthony Davis as the buzzer sounded.
James was vocal in his criticism, taking issue with an overturned call by the replay center late in the third quarter.
“I don’t understand what’s going on in the replay center, to be honest. … D-Lo 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 [like that]. It doesn’t make sense to me,” James said. “It bothers me. … And then I just saw what happened with the Sixers-Knicks game too. Like, what are we doing? … It’s f—ing stupid.”
Ham also laid into the officials, calling out inconsistencies from the regular season to the postseason.
“Some tough calls. Some tough non-calls. But you can’t use any of that as an excuse,” Ham said. “You gotta go out there and be ready to make plays whether the whistle gets blown or not. It’s getting real tricky — you go through the season, games being officiated one way, and then you get to the playoffs, and I guess it’s left up to the interpretation of the three individual guys that’s doing the job out there.”
Darvin Ham’s Comments Questioned by Charles Barkley
Getty ImagesLakers coach Darvin Ham took issue with the officiating after a Game 2 loss to the Nuggets.
The Lakers shot 13 free throws to the Nuggets’ 17. However, there didn’t appear to be any significant missed calls down the stretch.
James was called for a somewhat questionable foul against Murray with less than a minute left, resulting in free throws that tied the game at 97. But the Lakers had a challenge and decided not to use it.
Hall of Famer and TNT talking head Charles Barkley did not agree with Ham’s take after the clip aired.
“The officials had nothing to do with that game. This is all about the Denver Nuggets,” Barkley said. “Obviously, when you give up a 20-point lead, you have to make some mistakes. But [the Lakers] made every play down the stretch, and so did the Nuggets. It had nothing to do with the officiating. Give the Nuggets credit. Them boys balled out.”
Darvin Ham to Lakers: ‘We Need to Give Them This Feeling’
Getty ImagesLakers guard D’Angelo Russell broke out of his slump in Game 2.
The Lakers have now dropped 10 straight to the Nuggets, including six consecutive postseason games. The Nuggets swept the Lakers in last year’s Western Conference Finals.
The Lakers have a 0-2 hole to crawl out of against the defending champs, but Ham still believes his team can do it.
“It stings. Remember this feeling as we go back to LA. We need to give them this feeling in Game 3,” Ham said.
Despite the loss, the Lakers had some positives. D’Angelo Russell had one of his best postseason games as a member of the Lakers. He nailed 7-of-11 3-pointers, dispelling some of his Denver demons. Russell finished with 23 points and 6 assists.
James and Davis also contributed in a big way. James netted 26 with 12 assists and 8 rebounds, doing most of his damage in the fourth quarter. Davis scored 32 points on 14-of-19 shooting with 11 rebounds.
Game 3 is slated for Thursday in Los Angeles.
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