LeBron James was among the members of the Los Angeles Lakers who were in awe after their loss to the Boston Celtics on a missed foul late in the fourth quarter.
In a 105-105 game with about 4 seconds remaining, James went to his left and drove down the lane to the basket. James was surrounded by three Celtics defenders and went to the basket left-handed and appeared to be hit in the arm by Jayson Tatum.
James missed the layup and no foul was called on the play. The Lakers superstar was beside himself over the no call and fell to the ground in disbelief. Patrick Beverley, at one point, came over with a camera to show the referee what he missed. He received a technical foul.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James reacts during a Celtics game at the TD Garden in Boston on January 28, 2023.
(Paul Rutherford-USA Today Sports)
«I don’t understand. I don’t understand what we’re doing, and I watch basketball every day,» James said after the game. «I watch games every day and I don’t see it happen to anyone else. It’s just weird.»
Anthony Davis put it more directly.
«He fouled him. He fouled him. Clearly. Clearly,» Davis said, via the Los Angeles Times. «It’s nonsense —. But at the end of the day, it’s unacceptable. And I guarantee nothing will happen to the refs. Honestly, we were fooled tonight.
«It’s a flagrant foul. I think Pat gave the whole ball to Brown – Jaylen Brown. They call a foul. And Bron gets hit in the arm [and they don’t]. It’s unacceptable, to be honest. The referees were bad. They were bad tonight.»
The game would go to overtime, and Boston would come out with a 125-121 victory.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James falls to the ground in disbelief against the Celtics game at the TD Garden in Boston on January 28, 2023.
(Paul Rutherford-USA Today Sports)
LEBRON JAMES, NBA WORLD REACT TO VIDEO OF POLICE BEATING TIRE NICHOLS: ‘WE ARE OUR WORST ENEMY’
James played 44 minutes. He had 41 points with nine rebounds and eight assists in the loss. Beverley had 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Davis came off the bench and scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He also had four assists.
Crew chief Eric Lewis admitted after the game that the referees missed a call.
«There was contact,» Lewis said. «At that point, during the game, we didn’t see a foul. The team missed the play.»
Lakers coach Darvin Ham added his voice to the mix.
«The best player in the world can’t receive a call. It’s unbelievable,» he said. «As much as you try not to put him in arbitration, it’s getting harder and harder.»
Tatum converted the technical free kick before overtime began. He scored 30 points with 11 rebounds and four assists.
Jaylen Brown scored a team-high 37 points, grabbed nine boards and dished out three assists. He hit a pair of clutch shots to separate Boston from Los Angeles in overtime.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers sits on the bench during overtime against the Celtics, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Boston.
(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Boston moved to 36-15 with the win. Los Angeles fell to 23-27.
Associated Press contributed to this report.