PHOENIX– One foul call; that was what decided the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers contest on Sunday. After Devin Booker subsequently fouled LeBron James, he begged for an explanation.
He got an explanation from the officials, but he wasn't calling their bluff.
“They reviewed it. They still looked at it. I’m still trying to get the proper ruling on it… [The ref] said I hit [Bron's] wrist, which was a lie. I rewatched it,” Booker said in the team's locker room postgame.
Booker is quite the candid individual, but he didn't let the officials' call dictate why they lost. He referenced being outworked and losing the possession game. Still, it doesn't make matters any easier.
Not to mention, there was a pool report conducted by AZCentral's Duane Rankin following the game. His questions regarding the foul call were answered nearly as Booker's questions were answered.
The latter was left with confusion and quite an amount of irritability.
Devin Booker and the Suns felt plagued by the free-throw discrepancy
The guard wasn't the only one who was left in frustration with the foul call. It was also head coach Jordan Ott. He echoed something similar to Booker and stated that he found out when everyone in the arena did.
Regardless of that, they nearly came back from an 18-point deficit. They crawled back, but it felt that any chance there was to build momentum, a foul was swiftly called.
Even a missed technical free-throw by James showed some evidence regarding the constant whistle. Still, it wasn't the driving force behind the loss, but at that stage of the game, it was.
The Suns have roughly a week to avenge their loss to the Lakers, as the two will meet again on December 23. By that time, the foul calls might be a thing of the past. If that officiating crew remains active, it could be an all too familiar and bad sight for Phoenix.
