The battle for the NBA‘s Western Conference standings has seldom been this closely contested. Some might say that the Playoffs have already commenced there. Eight teams are still vying for a position with two weeks of regular season action remaining. The Los Angeles Lakers are one such team, who currently sit at the 9th spot and trying to improve their seeding. To do so, the players have increased their intensity level, something a referee found out in the worst possible way recently.
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The Los Angeles Lakers are currently on a six-game road trip and faced the Washington Wizards before heading home. LeBron James, who has been sensational this season, led his team to a third straight victory to close the trip. However, during the game, ‘the King’ was caught hurling abusive slurs at a referee when he did not get a foul call he believed he deserved. Here is what LeBron said to the referee:
“Call the f**king foul! B**ch a** n***a!”
LeBron James was seen pushing the pace while driving through the lane to score the basket. In doing so, he was clipped by the defender and wanted an ‘and-1’ opportunity. However, the referee did not blow his whistle, which led to James showing discontent. The four-time champion has never been afraid to voice his opinions to the referees and is been doing so for the last 21 years. However, in this case, the player was fortunate that the official did not hand him a technical foul for using offensive, and admittedly, very aggressive language on the court.
Los Angeles Lakers victory and the road ahead
The 125-120 win over the Washington Wizards concludes a very successful road trip for the Los Angeles team as they head home for their next three games. Anthony Davis led the team with a dominant performance scoring 35 points and grabbing 18 rebounds, per NBA.com. LeBron helped his team with an efficient 25 points while dishing out 9 assists.
The win takes the Lakers within one game of the Phoenix Suns who are facing the Cleveland Cavaliers. It also gives them a two-game cushion against the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers have a difficult schedule ahead as four of their next five games are against difficult opponents. They will face the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, and New Orleans Pelicans to finish the regular season.
