Lakers News

James Worthy unleashes angry tirade on refs after no-call on LeBron: ‘That’s one of the worst NBA referee crews I’ve seen’

Published by
Zach Stevens

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.

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.

Zach Stevens

Zach has always had a profound love and respect for the Lakers that has inspired him to write about the franchise. He has a great deal of admiration for LeBron James, and his overall knowledge about the NBA has made him a solid addition to the Lakers Daily staff.

Published by
Zach Stevens

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