Officiating in the NBA continues to polarize opinion, and the Los Angeles Lakers felt aggrieved by the referees during their 125-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
Austin Reaves had a heated exchange with crew chief John Goble after the game, while JJ Redick blasted the officials during his postgame press conference.
Former NBA Champion Calls Out Officiating After Lakers’ Game 2 Loss To Thunder
Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins also called out the officiating during last night’s Lakers-Thunder game. The former Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder center also demanded that NBA commissioner Adam Silver take action to improve officiating so that players do not continue to resort to flopping.
“We have a serious problem right now, and that game last night highlighted that. I love Adam Silver, I think he’s the best commissioner in sports. He’s a man of the people. With that being said, he’s going to have to listen to the people. They have a lot of upset fans that didn’t like the way that game was called last night,” he said.
“And I didn’t like it either, I hated it. Every single moment of it. It was nothing but complaining, a lot of flopping going on, a lot of no calls,” Perkins said on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday.
“We have a serious problem in the NBA right now and that game last night highlighted it..
Adam Silver is gonna have to listen to the people because there’s a lot of upset fans..
I hated the way that game was called last night and there was a lot of flopping going on”… https://t.co/OBERAjfoKI pic.twitter.com/evJHFaygLQ
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 8, 2026
Perkins also felt that the NBA must find a solution to this issue quickly, otherwise the integrity of the game could be called into question. He added that fining players for criticizing officials is not the solution to the problem, and the officials must also take some accountability.
“This has been a trend throughout postseason, calling out officiating, you have to address it. It’s not just fining players, but the officials have got to have some level of accountability. You don’t want to get to the point where fans are talking about the game being rigged. You have to complete this flopping nonsense. I think OKC all across the board, this was one of their worst moments,” he added.
Several opposition players and fans have alleged that the Thunder players receive favorable calls and special treatment from referees. Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker expressed his frustration with the referees during the first round of the playoffs against the Thunder. He was fined $35,000 for his comments.
Meanwhile, Redick contrasted some of the fouls the Thunder players drew with how LeBron James is officiated. He said on Thursday night that certain players draw more fouls because they tend to be more “theatrical.”
It remains to be seen whether the NBA decides to take any action against Redick or any Lakers players for their comments on the officiating.
