Playing with a short-handed roster in a closely contested game, the Los Angeles Lakers were in desperate need of any assistance they could find to stay competitive against the Miami Heat. However, both Darvin Ham and LeBron James felt that their team was the victim of questionable and costly officiating decisions.

The Lakers entered the game at the Kaseya Center on Monday missing several key rotation players, including Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Gabe Vincent (although Taurean Prince returned from a two-game absence). Their situation worsened when Anthony Davis suffered a hip spasm in the second quarter and had to exit the game after just 25 minutes of play.

In the late stages of the third quarter, Darvin Ham received his first technical foul of the season for arguing with the officials. With 7:52 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Lakers trailing by 10 points, D’Angelo Russell, who had contributed 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists, was ejected from the game after receiving two technical fouls in quick succession. The first technical was a result of his protest against a kick ball, and the second, as per crew chief James Williams in the official pool report, was due to Russell’s perceived disrespectful address to the referee.

Regarding his ejection, D’Angelo Russell expressed his confusion, stating that he was “still trying to figure it out” and preferred not to discuss the matter further. His head coach, on the other hand, speculated that the perceived inconsistency in officiating may have played a role in his point guard’s early exit from the game.

“All I want is an explanation sometimes,” said Ham. “And to not get that for the rest of the game once I got my technical … We just want balance and consistency … I don’t think I talked to the crew chief for the rest of the time after getting my technical. But it is what it is. I come from a world where we use the saying: ‘Don’t ask, don’t expect, don’t beg’ in terms of officiating.”

In the fourth quarter, the Lakers found themselves on the receiving end of a technical foul for a delay of game. LeBron James explained that he had rolled the ball to the sideline, where the inbound play was set to take place. However, Darvin Ham briefly held the ball with his foot, which led to the technical foul being called against the Lakers.

“I think some of the things we couldn’t control controlled the game a little bit in the fourth quarter. That’s unfortunate.” LeBron opined.

D’Angelo Russell’s absence became particularly evident in the closing moments of the game. Despite a valiant effort led by LeBron James, who scored 30 points, and Austin Reaves, who contributed an impressive 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists, the Lakers managed to narrow the gap to just one point. However, they faltered in the final two minutes, missing four crucial three-point attempts, including a potential buzzer-beater by Cam Reddish, and committing a turnover on their last five possessions.

LeBron pointed out that in a one-point game, the impact of the four technical free throws awarded to the opposing team becomes significantly magnified, highlighting the importance of those crucial free throws in the game’s outcome.

Ham, who lauded his team’s overall effort, expanded his criticism of the officiating to include LeBron’s low free throw count.

“I see Bron shooting four free throws and the amount of times he attacked the rim, the amount of times he was slapped on the arm, which I could see plain as day. For that not to be called, man. He’s not flopping. He’s not flopping. I’m watching him go to the hole strong. We talk about playing downhill with force, playing to the rim with force, not depending on the whistle, go try to make a play. If you get the whistle, great. If not, try to get the bucket first. I just need an explanation on certain plays that I felt should’ve gone the other way or should’ve not been called.”

The Lakers, along with their passionate fan base, have often expressed frustration over how LeBron James is officiated. LeBron himself has a history of addressing what he perceives as inconsistencies in officiating, especially during the early part of the season. He specifically highlighted two instances in the game against Miami when he aggressively drove to the rim and believed he encountered significant contact.

“The explanations with what they’re telling me are not consistent with what’s actually happening on the floor. … I don’t know what to — I’m going over respectfully, telling them what’s going on in the play and I consistently get to the line three or four times a game, sometimes not even at all, which is weird. So, just gotta keep driving, keep putting pressure on the rim, and see if it turns. We had some tough-break calls not in our favor tonight.”

In terms of free throw attempts per game, LeBron James currently ranks 18th in the NBA, averaging 6.0 free throw attempts per game. In the previous two games, he attempted a total of 17 free throws.

Despite this, the Lakers were called for three more fouls than the Miami Heat in the game and ended up shooting two fewer free throws than their opponents.