Basketball: ‘We got cheated’ – Lakers fume over referee decision in overtime loss to Celtics

BOSTON – The Los Angeles Lakers were furious after match officials admitted they missed a foul on a potential game-winning lay-up by LeBron James against the Boston Celtics, allowing the latter to snatch a 125-121 overtime win on Saturday.

With the National Basketball Association game tied at 105-105 and 4.1 seconds left on the clock, James attempted to drive through the Celtics defence.

But he was fouled by Jayson Tatum, denying the Lakers veteran two points and free throws at the death.

James and the Lakers (23-27) were left shell-shocked as appeals for a foul were ignored as the clock ran down, while Patrick Beverley even received a technical foul when he brought a photographer’s camera on court to show the referee proof of a foul.

“You saw my reaction,” James said. “It’s challenging. I’m attacking the paint, just as much as any of the guys in this league that’s shooting double-digit free throws a night, and I don’t get it. I don’t understand it.

“You’ve seen some of the games we’ve lost with late-game missed calls... I don’t see it happening to nobody else. It’s just weird...

“It’s one of the best games we’ve played all year, and for it to fall on somebody else’s judgment or non-judgment is ridiculous. It’s ridiculous.”

The Celtics (36-15) eventually sealed victory in overtime at the TD Garden despite James’ 41-point effort, which moved him to within 116 points of all-time leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

“As much as you try not to put it on officiating, it’s becoming increasingly difficult... The best player in the NBA can’t get a call. It’s amazing,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham told reporters.

James’ teammate Anthony Davis said the non-call was “unacceptable”.

He said: “(Tatum) fouled him. He fouled him. Clearly. Clearly. It’s bulls**t... It’s unacceptable.

“ And I guarantee nothing is going to happen to the refs. We got cheated tonight, honestly.

“It’s a blatant foul.. It’s unacceptable, to be honest. The refs were bad. They were bad tonight...

“I guarantee that if the refs started getting fined for missed calls, it would be a lot better. But nothing will be done.”

Jaylen Brown, who had 37 points for Boston, was unsurprisingly more philosophical. He said: ‘’That was just the craziness of the game.

“It looked like they might have missed a call on their end towards the end of the game. But that’s just life. They’ll be all right.”

Crew chief Eric Lewis, the lead official, later admitted there was contact.

“There was contact. At the time, during the game, we did not see a foul. The crew missed the play,” Lewis said. REUTERS