NBA Officials Under Fire After Controversial Lakers-Thunder Game

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NBA Officials Under Fire After Controversial Lakers-Thunder Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Yagya Bhargava | Last updated May 8, 2026 9:44 AM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers walked off the floor Thursday night with a 125-107 Game 2 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the result wasn't the only thing that had the team fired up. The officiating was, and nobody held back about it.

Coach JJ Redick picked up a technical foul late in the first quarter after going at referee Ben Taylor over missed calls. By the final buzzer, Austin Reaves and several Lakers players were back at midcourt, confronting crew chief John Goble.

Redick addressed it directly in his postgame comments, saying LeBron James hasn't been getting enough protection from officials throughout the series.

Former Chicago Bulls guard Jay Williams took it a step further on Friday morning. Appearing on ESPN's Get Up, Williams called out the Game 2 officiating without much hesitation.

"Last night was maybe one of the worst officiating games I've seen in a long time," Williams said.

"Last night was maybe one of the worst officiating games I've seen in a long time." @RealJayWilliams reacts to the Lakers criticizing officiating after their Game 2 loss vs. the Thunder pic.twitter.com/qDCZsLBT3W
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 8, 2026

Jay Williams Points to LeBron James Play as the Turning Point

Williams zeroed in on one sequence involving James and Cason Wallace that, to him, captured everything wrong with the night. James absorbed clear contact and still finished the basket, but the officials didn't award the and-one. The foul on Wallace was ruled a floor violation and the made shot was waved off, with the Lakers already trailing 107-94 and 5:39 left on the clock.

What made it worse in Williams' view was that all three referees had a direct look at the play and still got it wrong. That call, he felt, was a fair summary of how the officiating went from start to finish. Foul trouble shadowed the Lakers all night and made a tough situation harder to manage.

Reaves, Marcus Smart and Jaxson Hayes each finished with five fouls, forcing Redick to shuffle his rotations during stretches the Lakers couldn't afford to lose ground. After the game, Redick made his position clear. The Thunder are good enough to win this series on their own merits and don't need any help from the officiating to do it.

Game 3 is set for Sunday in Los Angeles. The Lakers will need a cleaner night on both ends to get back in this series.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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