On April 23, 2024, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs continued, and in the second game between the Lakers and the Nuggets, the Nuggets won with Jamal Murray's last-minute whistle kill. They defeated their opponents 101-99 in the whole game, and the big score was already 2-0 ahead.
On the Lakers' side in this game, James had 26 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds, Davis had 32 points and 11 rebounds, and Russell also had 23 points and 6 assists. The Lakers' loss in this game was very frustrating for the whole team, James kept asking the referee after the game, and Russell also said in an interview after the game that some controversial blows changed the direction of the game. Both stars expressed their dissatisfaction with the referee, which also led to a growing discussion among fans.
BR reporter Andy Bailey expressed his views on the penalty on his social media, saying that in the past two seasons, the Lakers' net free throw total has been the first place in each season, and in the past two seasons, the Lakers' net free throw total in each season has more than doubled that of the second place. Specifically, the Lakers have made 983 free throws in the past two seasons, ranking first in the league, while the Heat are in second place with just 386.
Although the past data does not represent the blowing penalty of this game, at least from the perspective of this game, the Lakers themselves do have certain problems. You must know that when entering the fourth quarter, the Lakers led the opponent by 10 points, and were finally reversed by the opponent. For the Lakers, if the next home court can't be held, then there will be no suspense in this round of the series.