The Los Angeles Lakers did not get to head into the All-Star break on a high note as they dropped two consecutive games, but nonetheless, they finally get the break they have so desperately needed.
The Lakers were depleted in their most recent loss to the Sacramento Kings, playing without LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol and Alex Caruso. James was ruled out after their loss to the Phoenix Suns in order to receive treatment on his sore ankle, but Los Angeles was able to make it a competitive match against Sacramento.
It was a back and forth game in the second half as both teams were unable to stop the other from scoring, but the Kings pulled away in the end after Kyle Kuzma missed a three that would have sent the game into overtime. However, the Lakers should not have been in that position as one of Buddy Hield’s made 3-pointers in the second quarter should have been ruled a two.
Head coach Frank Vogel revealed the Lakers sent the clip to the league office for review, although it was to no avail.
“Yeah, we told the officials about it, they told us they turned it into Secaucus and then they gave us some excuse that too much time had passed, that they couldn’t reverse it at that point,” Vogel said. “So when you got a one-point game down the stretch, that’s very disappointing that they weren’t able to look at that. But that’s what they told us after the game, or during the game they were telling my assistants.”
Hield’s three came at the 8:37 mark of the second quarter and while it was hard to tell in real-time, a replay showed that his foot was clearly over the line. Normally referees are good about reviewing those types of shots during a break, but for whatever reason, they never went to the replay center to conduct an official review.
It was a costly error for the Lakers because they were forced to foul at the end of the game, but it could be argued they never should have never been in that position in the first place. Despite the loss, Los Angeles can head into the break knowing they are in a pretty solid position for the second half of the year.
Frank Vogel not concerned with officiating
Aside from the missed review on the Hield 3-pointer, the Lakers have received their fair share of wrong or missed calls throughout the season. Officiating is never going to be completely consistent from game to game which forces teams to adjust on a nightly basis. Vogel has preached that L.A. is a no-excuse team, and noted he does not worry about the referees.
“I don’t worry about the officials,” Vogel said. “That’s out of our control.”
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