Tyrese Maxey certainly disapproved of the no-call during the Los Angeles Lakers – Philadelphia 76ers game. His ’emotion-filled’ reaction was enough to determine that. This heated moment came early, with less than three minutes left in the first quarter. Maxey was driving toward the basket while the Lakers applied major defensive pressure. The 76ers’ player appeared to have been tugged by Austin Reaves along the way, but it wasn’t called.

Maxey was mad enough to get into a heated confrontation with the referee. He received a technical foul for it within seconds. Even head coach Nick Nurse stepped onto the court, trying to make a point to the referees animatedly. All of this, however, culminated in the Lakers winning the game. Then came the post-game press conference, and Maxey surprisingly presented a calmer and composed version of himself.

For starters, he brushed off any hard feelings toward his opponents. While many called it foul-baiting, Maxey called Reaves’ action and all the other physicality a “sign of respect” toward him as a player.

Interesting that Maxey mentions it just days after Michael Jordan called fouls and double-teaming on Anthony Edwards a mark of respect too. The 76ers player also said they gave the same ‘respect’ to Reaves, LeBron James, and Luka Doncic, and it’s just them returning it.

“It is part of the game,” Maxey continued about the heated situation. “Referees are human, so sometimes they call, sometimes they don’t. I keep playing through all those calls man I ain’t tripping off that… Not frustrated at all. I laughed.”

Interestingly, after the game, a different camera angle showed that Maxey had shoved Reaves first to get more space. He might’ve been a cool customer about this entire situation after the game, but his coach had a very different view. In fact, Nurse appeared to have made a controversial comparison.

Nick Nurse unhappy with referees amid Tyrese Maxey’s composed post-game demeanor

Nurse didn’t hesitate to throw some shade on the officials directly. He appreciated his team’s effort against the likes of LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and Luka Doncic. But his controversial observation of Doncic could get him into trouble.

“I thought we did a decent enough job on Luka other than the 14 free throws, but it just seems to be the par for the course for him,” Nurse said.

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Nurse’s comment brings Doncic’s free-throw numbers into focus. You’d be surprised to know he’s first on this list, with 12.1 attempts per game this season. But in no way did this prove anything about the officials siding with the Purple and Gold.

“As much as he (Maxey) drove it down the lane, you think there’d be some more,” Nurse said of Maxey not getting enough calls. “But what’s the surprising ones are when they were trying to foul on purpose and they let those go. They were trying to stop the break without committing a take foul and whack him upside the head, and he’s got to play through it. So, a little bit surprised on those.”

Publicly taking a jab at the officials hasn’t been beneficial for Nurse in the past. Back in 2018, he was fined $15,000 for voicing his displeasure with the referees. He was with the Toronto Raptors back then. Now, however, the point is that the 76ers are 13-10 for the season, and with Maxey having a breakout campaign, he could propel his aging team to a playoff spot in the East.