Saturday night in Portland wasn’t about rhythm or flow-it was about the whistle. And the Lakers felt every bit of it.
The first quarter alone saw the Trail Blazers head to the free-throw line 22 times-yes, 22. To put that into perspective, that’s more than their average for an entire game (27).
Meanwhile, the Lakers managed just three trips to the line in that same quarter and finished the night with 21 total free throws. In other words, Portland shot more in the first 12 minutes than L.A. did all game.
Now, let’s be clear: Portland didn’t win this game because of the officiating. They dominated the Lakers outright. But that doesn’t mean the way the game was called isn’t worth talking about-because it absolutely is.
After the game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick didn’t hold back when asked about the officiating. And he wasn’t fuming or pointing fingers-he was measured, but honest. According to Redick, even the officials admitted things got off to a rough start.
“There’s always going to be fouls,” Redick said. “You can sit there and go through and watch every single one.
I do it sometimes. I’ll watch film and I’ll watch a play and go, ‘Wait a minute.
Let me rewind that, zoom in, slow it down.’ The officials don’t have that luxury.
It’s more about the way the game is called. They got off to a bad start tonight and they admitted that to me.”
That admission is telling. Redick didn’t just take issue with the volume of calls-he was more concerned about the inconsistency.
At times, he said, it wasn’t even clear what the actual call was. There were breakdowns in communication, particularly with crew chief Pat Fraser, that left the Lakers bench in the dark.
“They were all over the map,” Redick continued. “Making calls and not actually making a call.
That happened multiple times where we have to go over, ‘What’s going on? What’s the actual call here?’
I couldn’t get great communication from Pat all night, which we’ll put in the feedback.”
That feedback loop is something Redick has leaned into all season. This isn’t the first time he’s voiced frustration about the officiating, and it’s not just about one-off mistakes-it’s about patterns.
The lack of consistency, both within games and from night to night, has been a recurring theme. And Redick suggested he’s not the only coach noticing it.
“For whatever reason,” he said, “you’d have to ask probably the other 29 coaches, it feels like the inconsistency night to night within a game has been there for most of these crews.”
One play that really raised eyebrows came later in the game, when LeBron James was hit with a flagrant 1 foul. He went up to contest a shot by Donovan Clingan, and the officials deemed it excessive.
But based on the replay, it was a tough call to justify. If that’s the new standard for a flagrant, then defenders may need to rethink how they challenge shots in the air.
For the Lakers, that’s the real challenge. It’s not just about adjusting to how a game is being called-it’s about adjusting to how this game is being called, compared to last game, and the one before that. If the definition of a foul keeps shifting, it becomes nearly impossible to adapt on the fly.
This isn’t about blaming refs for a loss. The Lakers got outplayed.
But Redick's comments reflect a broader concern that’s been building throughout the season-not just in L.A., but around the league. For a team trying to find rhythm and identity, the moving target of officiating only adds to the complexity.
And as long as the whistle keeps blowing like this, don’t expect the conversation to quiet down anytime soon.