The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings last night, in order to get their third win in a row. The Kings battled hard and did not make it easy for the Lakers by any means. But in the end, the Lakers were able to walk away victorious, thanks in part to a contentious call from the referees late in the game.
During the final minute of the game, the Lakers went to the free-throw line. After missing the second free-throw, De’Aaron Fox allowed the ball to drop in order to slow down the clock. But the clock continued to turn, causing the Kings to take a timeout to remedy the situation.
After observing the footage closely, the referees called a jump ball, as neither team actually had possession of the ball. This sparked an incredibly furious reaction from Kings’ head coach Alvin Gentry, who loudly exclaimed ‘Hell No!’ as he walked away and threw away his clipboard in frustration.
gets me every time i run it back pic.twitter.com/0Baw4eD4EW
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 5, 2022
After the game, Alvin Gentry spoke during the post-game press conference and expressed his frustration. He clarified that he wasn’t upset with the referees and that he was more frustrated with the jump-ball rule in the NBA, a rule he feels is outdated, and cost the Kings a potential win (2:27 mark).
“(Referees) enforced the rule the way it is. If anything needs to be changed, the rule needs to be changed. I think there has to be some common sense about basketball. We have the basketball right there. They started the clock. We didn’t start the clock. It wasn’t our error. And so we got punished for a dumba** rule. That’s the bottom line. But it had nothing to do with the officials. All they did was exactly what they were supposed to do. They enforced the rule. And so if anything needs to be changed, the rule needs to be changed.”
The move was contentious from the referees and caused the Kings to lose the ball. The jump ball eventually led to the Lakers pulling ahead enough to seal the win. Kings fans will undoubtedly be upset over the decision.
The jump ball rule is not one that has caused a lot of controversy in the NBA over the years. But this could start a trend of other referees perhaps making contentious decisions that could further aggravate the coaches down the line.
