Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick strongly criticized officiating after his team’s 125-107 Game 2 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, while guard Austin Reaves said he felt “disrespected” during a tense on-court exchange with referees.

Redick delivered unusually sharp comments in his postgame press conference, arguing that Oklahoma City plays an extremely physical style that is not being consistently penalized. He said key Lakers players, including LeBron James, are not getting the same level of officiating respect as other stars, News.Az reports, citing ESPN.

James finished the game with 23 points but attempted only a handful of free throws across the first two games of the series, something Redick pointed to as part of a broader frustration with how contact has been called.

“LeBron has the worst whistle of any star player I’ve ever seen,” Redick said, adding that he believes James is frequently fouled on drives without getting calls.

James himself was more reserved when asked about officiating, saying only: “We’re down 2-0.”

The tension escalated further in the fourth quarter when Reaves confronted referee John Goble following a disputed sequence involving a loose-ball foul that was changed to a jump ball. Reaves, who scored a playoff career-high 31 points, said the interaction left him feeling disrespected.

“I felt like he just yelled in my face,” Reaves said. “At the end of the day, we’re grown men.”

The officiating crew called 26 fouls against Los Angeles and 21 against Oklahoma City, with the Thunder holding a slight edge in free throw attempts.

Despite the frustration, Redick defended his team’s emotional response and praised their effort. The Lakers, however, were unable to recover after Oklahoma City seized control in the second half and extended their series lead to 2-0.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada