The Los Angeles Lakers were out for revenge against the Boston Celtics on Saturday after blowing a 13-point lead in their last matchup with them in December.
But they lost to Boston yet again in overtime, and Lakers great James Worthy was livid about the officiating crew.
James Worthy on LeBron getting fouled at end of regulation: "That one right there pissed me off. That was one of the worst referee crews that I seen officiating a game. … That referee crew shouldn't get to call more big games. … They should be ashamed, they really should."
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) January 29, 2023
More James Worthy on LeBron: "He's the leader of the league about to break Kareem's record and he can't get a call, an obvious call."
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) January 29, 2023
More James Worthy: "Yeah it's pathetic and it's embarrassing for the NBA referees. … They call touchy calls with guys flailing and LeBron gets hit a lot and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Laker fan. … I'm looking at what everyone else is looking at."
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) January 29, 2023
James Worthy on LeBron: "When you're battling 5 on 8, it takes time to conjure up that momentum again (in OT). … That was not a hard thing to do (call the foul). It almost seemed like their (refs) egos were in this game. They need to check that. They SUCKED tonight."
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) January 29, 2023
The one play Worthy was referring to was the game-winning layup attempt by LeBron James at the end of regulation with the score tied. He missed, and even though he clearly got hit on the arm by Celtics star Jayson Tatum, he didn’t get any foul call in his favor.
In overtime, Boston flexed and built enough of a lead to prevail by four points.
The Celtics did a great job throughout the contest of cutting off the Lakers’ fast break, forcing L.A. to play a methodical game that it isn’t equipped to play. The team shot just 44.8 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from 3-point range, as both Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook struggled with their shooting.
James, however, was on top of his game, as he has often been in recent weeks. He scored 41 points while going 6-of-12 from beyond the arc, to go along with nine rebounds and eight assists. He did just about everything right despite a Celtics defense that appeared geared to limit his trademark forays to the cup.
Los Angeles played well enough defensively to win, as it forced Tatum to shoot just 8-of-25 from the field. It led by as many as 11 points, but its offensive struggles kept the Celtics in the contest.
If there is a silver lining for the Lakers, it’s the fact that they’re starting to become healthy.
This was the first game back for guard Lonnie Walker IV, who has been out for a few weeks with a knee ailment. He shot 6-of-8 off the bench and scored 13 points in just 18 minutes.
The Lakers’ loss was the first leg of a five-game road trip. It will continue on Monday against the Brooklyn Nets, and they will head across the East River the following night to take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
