Lakers fall to Celtics in OT on controversial officiating.
BOSTON — The Lakers fell to the Celtics thanks to a little help from the officials in Saturday night’s matchup, missing a controversial call at the end of regulation to lose 125–121 and drop their record to 23–27.
With the score knotted up at 105 with 4.1 seconds left, LeBron did what most players would do for a high percentage chance to score: attack the bucket. After the inbounds pass, LeBron went straight toward the basket, getting through multiple Celtics players for the layup before taking a tough slap on the wrist from Jayson Tatum. The officials stood blank, keeping their whistle still as it headed into overtime with no call on an obvious foul.
“The best player on Earth can’t get a call. It’s amazing,” said head coach Darvin Ham.
The frustration grew in overtime for the Lakers, as Celtics forward Jalen Brown scored 11 of his 37 points in overtime, adding insult to injury in a game that could have been over in regulation.
The foul line game was completely lopsided in favor of the Celtics, with the Lakers attempting just 20 free throws on the night compared to the Celtics’ 38 total attempts from the charity strike.
Saturday’s loss and controversial officiating overshadowed LeBron James' masterful outing, as he scored a game-high 41 points on 15-for-30 shooting overall from the field, adding 9 rebounds and 8 assists in 44 minutes.
“You saw my reaction,” said LeBron. “It’s challenging. I don’t get it.”
In his second game back from an ankle injury, Anthony Davis had a solid night, notching a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds in 33 minutes off the bench.
“We got cheated tonight,” said Anthony Davis.
The Lakers will continue their five-game road trip this Monday against the 30–19 Brooklyn Nets at 4:30 PM on Spectrum SportsNet and NBA TV.
