On April 23, it was reported that in the NBA playoffs that ended on April 23, the Lakers lost to the Nuggets 99-101 away, and the series fell behind 0-2. In this game, Porter Jr.'s face foul on Russell was successfully challenged by the Nuggets, and after the game, James was interviewed and angry at the referee's unfair decision.
In this game, Lakers player Russell performed remarkably, playing 39 minutes, shooting 8 of 16, 7 of 11 three-pointers, and getting 23 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists, with a plus/minus of +4.
James played 38 minutes in the game, shooting 9-of-19 from the field, 3-of-6 from three-point range, 5-of-7 from the free-throw line, scoring 26 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists, with a plus/minus of +2. In the final quarter, James scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
During the game, Russell was blocked by Porter Jr.'s head and face during a layup, and Porter Jr.'s arm hit Russell directly in the face. Although the referee initially awarded Porter Jr. a foul, Nuggets head coach Malone challenged.
After watching the video, the referee said that the first hit was considered a "marginal contact", so the challenge was successful!
After the game, James was interviewed about Russell being hit in the head by Porter Jr. but the foul was canceled after the Nuggets challenged successfully, James said: "Of course, it's a harrowing game and you don't want to lose the game in this way. I don't understand, to be honest, I don't understand what's going on in the replay center! I've said this year and last year that D-Lo obviously got hit in the face in a dribbling attack, and if that's the case, what are we going to do in the replay center? It doesn't make sense at all, it baffles me. Sorry for answering your question, but then I also saw the Knicks vs. the 76ers, what the hell are we doing?
Then, in a huff, James put down the microphone and walked away.
In this regard, netizens said, "I haven't figured out this ball, what is a foul?"
"I didn't expect this ball to be successful, so after someone else lays a layup, will I not foul someone else's head?"
"This one really hits."
"Because I didn't fall to the ground, I just fell to the ground and didn't move."
"If you don't blow it, you can give a reason, it's really disgusting to blow it and then change the sentence, and it looks ugly"
"This ball Porter didn't touch the ball, he didn't foul when he touched it, he didn't touch it, he obviously fouled, a neutral point of view of Nuggets fans."