LeBron explodes as one call turns game to farce

1 year ago 76

Lakers defender Patrick Beverly grabbed a courtside camera successful an effort to amusement referee Eric Lewis what everyone who'd watched the replay already knew: LeBron James was fouled connected his missed layup astatine the extremity of regulation.

Instead of getting the call, Beverly drew a method foul that gave Boston the pb to commencement overtime and the NBA-leading Celtics went connected to bushed Los Angeles 125-121 connected Saturday night.

“The champion subordinate connected world can’t get a call. It's amazing,” Lakers manager Darvin Ham said. "As overmuch arsenic you effort not to enactment it connected the officiating, it's becoming progressively difficult.”

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Jaylen Brown scored 37, completing a tying three-point play with 4.1 seconds near successful regularisation and adding 11 much points successful overtime to assistance the Celtics drawback a three-game losing streak.

Brown added 9 rebounds, Jayson Tatum had 30 points and 11 rebounds, and Malcom Brogdon scored 15 of his 26 points successful the 2nd fractional of a see-saw crippled that had 19 pb changes — six successful the 4th fourth — and 15 ties.

James had 41 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. But it was his missed layup astatine the extremity of regularisation that enraged him connected the tribunal and near him simmering astatine his locker afterward.

“I don't understand," said James, who sat with a towel covering his caput during overtime and hardly looked up arsenic helium spoke from astatine his locker.

"I don't recognize what we're doing, and I ticker hoops each azygous day. I ticker games each azygous time and I don't spot it happening to cipher else. It's conscionable weird.”

Anthony Davis had 16 points with 10 rebounds, coming disconnected the seat for the 2nd crippled successful a enactment aft missing 20 with a ft injury.

Beverly scored 15, doubly giving the Lakers the pb successful the last infinitesimal of the fourth. But helium besides missed a foul changeable that mightiness person clinched it, and his method gave the Celtics the pb to commencement overtime, and they ne'er trailed again.

“At the extremity of the day, the players decided that game,” Brown said.

“We made plays down the stretch; they made plays down the stretch. And I thought it was a bully game. It was astir apt 1 of the greater games successful our caller Lakers-Celtics matchup. And I’m blessed we came retired connected top.”

With Celtics Hall of Famer Paul Pierce cheering his erstwhile squad connected from the sideline and the team’s broadcasters — Boston’s Cedric Maxwell and LA’s Mychal Thompson — talking trash connected property row, the Celtics swept their longtime rivals successful the two-game play series.

There was a vocal contingent of Lakers fans making sound erstwhile the visitors opened an 11-point pb successful the 3rd quarter. But they were out-shouted by the locals erstwhile Tatum, who scored 15 successful the third, including 3 3-pointers, helped erase an 11-point deficit.

Beverly deed a 3-pointer to springiness the Lakers the pb with 52 seconds near and then, aft Boston tied it, scored connected a putback dunk that made it 104-102 with 19 seconds to play.

But aft Brown missed a 3, Beverly missed 1 of 2 escaped throws; Al Horford missed a 3, and Brown scored connected the putback and picked up a delayed foul call.

“That was conscionable the craziness of the game,” Brown said. “It looked similar they mightiness person missed a telephone connected their extremity toward the extremity of the game. But that’s conscionable life. They’ll beryllium each right.”

One crippled aft missing a brace of escaped throws with 8 seconds near successful a one-point crippled against the Knicks, Brown deed this 1 to necktie it 105-all with 4.1 seconds to play. The Celtics (36-15) person the NBA’s champion grounds contempt losing their erstwhile 3 games.

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