On his 39th birthday, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a narrow and controversial defeat against the Western Conference leaders, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The thrilling match, held on December 31 , saw top players from both teams, including Edwards and Rudy Gobert (Minnesota) as well as Anthony Davis and LeBron James (Lakers), shine on the court. The tension peaked in the final seconds after he scored a crucial basket.
With Minnesota leading 107-104, Anthony Davis launched a fast break, passing to LeBron James, who aimed for a three-pointer to tie the game. However, the referees ruled that his foot had touched the three-point line, awarding only two points. Given the importance of the play, the officials requested a video review.
After a lengthy review, the referees upheld their original decision. Following this controversial call, Minnesota scored an additional point, sealing a 108-106 victory, leaving LeBron James visibly frustrated.
“That was clearly a three-pointer. My foot was behind the line. You could see the gap between my toe and the three-point line. I don’t understand the purpose of slow-motion review if it still leads to the wrong call,” LeBron expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision. This directly affected the results of the whole team that day. At the same time, this also caused a great disappointment on LeBron’s special day.
Lead referee Tony Brothers explained: “On the court, the play was initially ruled a two-pointer. After reviewing the footage, we found no clear evidence to overturn the decision, which is why the score remained two points.’’Although there were many controversies that continued immediately after, this referee still maintained his current opinion and showed no signs of being swayed by public opinion.
This loss keeps the Lakers in 9th place in the Western Conference. On New Year’s Day, January 1st, 2024, they will face the New Orleans Pelicans in an away game.
