Austin Reaves Gave the Refs a Stern Talking to After Game 2 Loss to Thunder
The Lakers were furious with the officiating during their Game 2 loss to the Thunder on Thursday night, and they let them hear about it.
After L.A. lost 125-107 to fall behind 2-0 in their Western Conference semifinal series, guard Austin Reaves got in the faces of the officials and gave them a long lecture. The rest of his teammates were gathered around, and LeBron James could be seen nodding along with his teammate.
Video is below.
Reaves and the Lakers pressing the officiating crew pic.twitter.com/DpGtVgnUXE
- Shabazz (@ShowCaseShabazz) May 8, 2026
The Lakers' problems with the officiating began early. James could be seen screaming at an official for missing an obvious foul as he made a first-quarter layup.
LeBron gets frustraded after the refs missed a clear and-1 foul on him pic.twitter.com/8aD1I40oeP
- Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) May 8, 2026
The foul discrepancy didn't wind up being a big difference. L.A. was called for 26 fouls, while Oklahoma City was whistled for 21. The Thunder also shot more free throws (26 to 21). Opponents and fans have complained for months that the reigning NBA champions have gotten the benefit of far too many calls. On Thursday night, the frustration boiled over for the Lakers.
The Thunder dominated the second half of Game 2, outscoring the Lakers 68 to 49 and running away with the game late. Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 22 points each, while Ajay Mitchell added 20, and Jared McCain poured in 18 in as many minutes off the bench.
The Lakers got 31 from Reaves and 23 from James, but couldn't keep up with Oklahoma City late. L.A.'s offense was bogged down by OKC's excellent defense late and is clearly missing Luka Dončić, whose timeline for return is still unknown.
The two teams will meet again in Game 3 on Saturday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Austin Reaves Gave the Refs a Stern Talking to After Game 2 Loss to Thunder.
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This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 9:44 PM.