Damian Lillard Flames Officials For Allowing OKC to Flop and Exert Physicality on Spurs

Damian Lillard called out the officiating in Game 3 of the Spurs-Thunder series.

Damian Lillard Flames Officials For Allowing OKC to Flop and Exert Physicality on Spurs

Damian Lillard and Portland Trail Blazers get new owner (Image via FirstSportz)

Damian Lillard may not have played basketball on an NBA court in over a year, but it looks like he has had enough of the referees. The nine-time All-Star called out the officiating in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night.

After the game, Lillard took to his social media to slam the referees.

Refs doin too much.

Damian Lillard on X

Several players and pundits have voiced their concerns over the officiating in the playoffs this year. Most of those concerns have involved the defending champions. In the Western Conference Semifinals between the Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers, the Lakers, led by LeBron James, even confronted the referees after a game.

The criticism of the officiating has carried over to the Thunder-Spurs series. The Thunder have been slammed for their constant flopping and getting away with their over-aggressive physical defense.

Phoenix Suns star Dillon Brooks went as far as to join hands with Underdog to create a game called ‘Unethical Hoops.’ As Brooks demonstrated the game, he trolled his international teammate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Suns were clean-swept by the Thunder in the first round.

Game 3 was a free-throw bonanza for both sides. The game saw 66 free-throw attempts, with both teams taking 33 each. The Spurs had 28 team fouls, while the Thunder had 25.

However, Damian Lillard was left unhappy with how things panned out in Game 3 regarding the officiating. There is still a lot to play for in this series, and more criticism of the officiating is expected in the coming games.

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Stephon Castle snapped over Thunder’s back-to-back dirty plays

Spurs guard Stephon Castle has been on the receiving end of some really physical and questionable plays by the Thunder. In Game 2, Isaiah Hartenstein was seen grabbing Castle by the hair and pulling him down to the hardwood. The biggest surprise was that the referees allowed the play to continue with no consequences.

Things got out of hand in Game 3. There were two straight fouls on fast breaks by the Thunder on Castle. Both dirty plays took place within a minute. The second hard foul brought a reaction out of the 21-year-old, who confronted Ajay Mitchell before things got heated.

With no De’Aaron Fox in the first two games, Castle has had to shoulder more of the ball-handling responsibilities. While Castle has impressed with his scoring and passing, the high number of turnovers has been a problem for the young guard. After Game 2, he became the first player in playoff history to record back-to-back 10+ turnover games.

OKC regain their home-court advantage after Game 3

After losing their first game of the playoffs this season in Game 1 at home, the Thunder have bounced back strongly since. They found themselves 15-0 down in the first few minutes after tip-off, but roared themselves back into the game.

The game had a bit of everything, but in the end, the defending champions came out on top with a convincing 123-108 victory over the Spurs at the Frost Bank Center. The Thunder have regained their home-court advantage and now lead 2-1 in the series.

Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Image credits – Bleacher Report/X)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander paved the way once again with 26 points and 12 assists. But it was the Thunder bench, led by Jared McCain, that stole the show on Friday night. The 22-year-old scored 24 points in just 27 minutes. The Thunder bench outscored the Spurs bench by a mammoth 76-23.

The Spurs saw steady production from their starting five as all of them scored double-digit points. But it was the bench of the Thunder that made the difference in Game 3. The loss in Game 3 means Game 4 is a very important game for the Spurs. There is still a lot to play for in this series but the Spurs will have to do everything within their power to win Game 4 at home.

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