Los Angeles Lakers fans saw their team scrap their way back in a Thursday night game (Jan. 12) against the Dallas Mavericks and force the contest to go into overtime. The Lakers, most especially team captain LeBron James, believe that the referees missed a foul call against one of its team members that could’ve won the game.
The Los Angeles Lakers fell to 19-23 in the contest against the 24-19 Dallas Mavericks but showed exceptional grit despite a poor shooting night for James. The squad was without talented big man Anthony Davis but backup center Thomas Bryant, a former Washington Wizards player, has proven to be a useful asset. Russell Westbrook has also found a bit of a rhythm and before Davis went down with an injury, the Lakers looked to be surging.
Of concern was a three-point shot taken by former Wizards player Troy Brown Jr. at the end of regulation that would’ve won the game. On the closeout, Tim Hardaway Jr. seemingly bothered the shot but Brown didn’t openly criticize the referees and opted instead to state that the call was not in his hands. However, James offered a counter blanketed with plenty of profanity.
“No, it’s a f*cking foul,” James said, as reported by ESPN. “It’s a foul. No matter what he [Brown] says, it’s a f*cking foul. That sh*t is blatant, and they should have called it.”
Laker coach Darvin Ham also took the high road during his time at the podium, falling short of critiquing the referees and their call.
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Photo: Kevork Djansezian / Getty
