It was the 16th loss for the Los Angeles Lakers, and only once have they suffered a single-digit defeat. The downward trend for JJ Redick’s team continued after its fourth loss in the last five games. For the clash against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Lakers were shorthanded, but the head coach did not point fingers at the missing stars. It was towards the officiating crew.

“I mean, there’s always going to be fouls,” JJ Redick said about Portland having 22 free throws in the first quarter and the overall officiating. “You can sit there and go through and like watch every single, I do it sometimes, I’ll watch a play, and ‘Wait a minute. Let me rewind that. Zoom in, slow it down.’ The officials don’t have that luxury. So, to your point, it’s more about the way the game is called. They got off to a bad start tonight, and they admitted that to me.

Then they kind of just like were all over the map, you know, you making calls and not actually making a call. That happened multiple times. Couldn’t get great communication from Pat (Fraher) all night, which we’ll put in the coach’s feedback. It’s not to single them out. It’s just for whatever reason, and you’d have to ask probably the other 29 coaches, but it feels like the inconsistency night-to-night within a game has been there for most of these crews.”

According to ESPN Insights, those 22 free throws were also the most shot by any team in a first quarter since 2011. 5 different Lakers players received two fouls each. JJ Redick’s side went on to allow 34 free throws to Portland, only the sixth time this year the Lakers have given up at least 30 attempts from the line. Even though the team struggles with defending and letting opponents score from the 3-point line, they are quite mindful when it comes to foul trouble.

They are second in the league in free throws attempted and allow the seventh fewest per game. The Lakers were already without Luka Doncic, who leads the league with an average of 33.6 points a game, and did not play because of left groin soreness. Austin Reaves missed his 11th consecutive game Saturday with his calf injury. Deandre Ayton was ruled out due to knee soreness, and rotational center Jaxson Hayes also didn’t play because of a hamstring ailment.

JJ Redick’s side was already shorthanded and had to figure out how to respond to those officiating calls. Even LeBron James spoke to the press after the game and said, “Every night is different,” and called the matchup an “uphill battle”. It was a clear description of how the game felt biased against the visitors from the very beginning.

A few coaches already aired their issues with the officials before JJ Redick

While the Lakers’ head coach did not directly throw the officiating crew under the bus, the other head coaches were very direct. Cameras caught Timberwolves coach Chris Finch berating the referee during last month’s matchup against the Grizzlies. Minnesota lost 116–110 to Memphis, and the head coach was yelling at Zach Zarba in the final minute over multiple missed calls.

“Shut the f— up, man,” Finch yelled at Zarba. “You just blew two calls, you did so. You f—– know it. You f—– know it.” Just a day later, it was Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s turn to go zebra hunting. It was during a 116–114 loss to the Mavericks in Dallas, where multiple technical fouls were issued. Bickerstaff got a technical right after the halftime buzzer sounded, and shortly after, Ausar Thompson, one of Detroit’s core players, was ejected. “So, the same referee who comes into the game who’s not objective, and then he goes out and makes those calls,” Bickerstaff said.

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Rockets coach Ime Udoka was not subtle in his roast. After Houston’s overtime loss to the Nuggets, 128–125, the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report highlighted there were three incorrect calls in overtime, favoring Denver. Udoka called it the “most poorly officiated game I’ve seen in a long time.” The head coach also called out Zarba. “Two [refs] have no business being out there, and crew chief [Zach Zarba] was acting starstruck, so you’re seeing all kinds of inconsistent calls, and I’m sure we should’ve got a few more techs,” Udoka said.

For his comments, the NBA fined Udoka $25,000 on Wednesday. Maybe that’s why JJ Redick was not overly aggressive, blaming the referees for the inconsistent calls. But one thing is clear: the players and the head coaches are all tired of such a difference in officiating, which might prompt action from the league officials.