LeBron James Furiously Exits Lakers Game After Controversial Jalen Green Decision

LeBron James and Co. suffered a humiliating 135-119 loss against one of the youngest teams in the NBA, the Houston Rockets. To make things worse for the Lakers, the officials’ decisions also frustrated them all night. The officiating and humiliation finally took a toll on LeBron James in the closing minutes. The Lakers superstar exited the game furiously after a controversial Jalen Green decision.

With only two minutes remaining in the game and the Lakers trailing by 15 points, Green tried to penetrate to the basket. However, D’Angelo Russell’s tight defense caused Green to slip and nearly lose possession of the ball. While both guards were tussling for the ball, the officials called a controversial time-out for the Rockets. James was livid after the call, as he believed the ball was not completely in Green’s possession.

The game was already far beyond reach, so James did not bother staying till the final whistle and called it a night after the time-out.

The replay showed that Rockets guard Fred VanVleet called for a time-out while D’Angelo Rusell and Green were still fighting for possession. That was a controversial call, as any player could have won the ball. D’Angelo Russell also expressed his frustration after the call and got called for a technical foul. Darvin Ham emptied his bench after the controversial timeout to put an end to the Lakers’ misery.

A night full of controversial decisions

Jalen Green’s late-game time-out was not the only controversial call during tonight’s Lakers vs. Rockets game. Earlier in the second quarter, the officials ejected Lakers Forward Jarred Vanderbilt after he got into an altercation with Dillon Brooks. While fighting for a rebound, both players started shoving each other. However, Vando’s shove caught the officials’ attention, and he got called for a technical foul. Vanderbilt was frustrated with the call and tapped Brooks, on the back of his head. He immediately got tossed from the game for making contact with the Rockets forward.

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In the fourth quarter, Dillon Brooks continued his controversial antics. Dillon brought out his villain persona and trash-talked LeBron James after hitting a tough shot over him. Later in the game, Brooks hit James in the face while going for a rebound. James remained face down on the court for a couple of minutes while team officials attended to him before getting up and walking off the court.

After the play was reviewed and determined to be a flagrant 1 foul, James remained in the game. LeBron James alongside Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell scored 23 points apiece for the Lakers, but the Rockets proved to be too much for them led by Jalen Green’s 34 points.

With this defeat, the Lakers are now 3-3 in their last six games. They will hope to bounce back when they continue their road trip at the Atlanta Hawks.

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