On Monday night, the Miami Heat played host to the Los Angeles Lakers, who were on their second game of a long road trip, which will end after they play the Houston Rockets on Wednesday and the Phoenix Suns on Friday.
So far, the road trip has not gone as planned for LeBron James and company, with the team losing two straight, as they couldn’t get the best of the Orlando Magic, who beat them by nine, and fell to Jimmy Butler’s squad by one point last night.
It has been a tough start to the season for the Lakers, as every single game seems to be the same story, with the team being shorthanded due to numerous injuries and James having to keep the team competitive with a fourth-quarter explosion.
Even though Anthony Davis has played well thus far and is getting NBA Defensive Player of the Year buzz, he went down with a groin issue on Monday, leaving James to shoulder the load once again.
Unfortunately, the Lakers came up short, with Cam Reddish missing a wide-open three-pointer in the corner as time expired.
That play call to put the ball in Reddish’s hands with the game on the line has been heavily criticized, as well as James not getting foul calls when he drives to the hoop, which resulted in the Lakers reaching out to the league to point out these missed calls, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN via NBA Central.
The Los Angeles Lakers reached out to the NBA league office to express their concerns over several perceived missed foul calls, particularly involving LeBron James, during their 108-107 loss to the Miami Heat on Monday, per @mcten pic.twitter.com/zAo9AhVVFJ
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 7, 2023
Here are some reactions from fans about the team’s decision to reach out to the league to complain about the lack of foul calls given to James:
Apologies in advance to the Houston Rockets, because of this they’re gonna shoot 56 FTs against you next game 😭
— Andy (@AndyJPuente) November 7, 2023
Already complaining about calls 8 games into the season 😭😭
— Chef Curry (@baby_face_goat) November 7, 2023
Cry me a river pic.twitter.com/5ZxqUwE2Yf
— GrindHouse Grizzlies (Spaces) (@SpacesGrizzlies) November 7, 2023
Facts they don’t wanna give Bron any call
— . 👑 (@feellikebron23) November 7, 2023
Clearly, there’s a big difference between what Lakers fans see and what fans of other teams around the league see when it comes to James’ lack of calls this season.
As usual, opposing fans don’t have any sympathy for the Lakers, but the calls have been painfully inconsistent, and not only the concerning non-calls for James.
NEXT:
Lakers Star Defends LeBron James’ Late Decision Against Heat