WATCH: LeBron James Smacks 7ft Suns Player’s Groin in Heated Basketball Play

The Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Phoenix Suns to battle for the semifinal spot in the ongoing In-Season tournament. And won the match 106-103 in a nail-biting encounter. In the first quarter, the Lakers maintained a 33-23 lead. At the half, they maintained it with a 59-47 lead. Jarred Vanderbilt paired with LeBron James to establish the dominance of the Lakers in the game. But LeBron’s aggression had other facets too.

Maintaining pressure from quarter to quarter, the Lakers were able to put Phoenix on the back foot. Unfortunately for the Suns, LeBron’s hand did the damage with the ball and body of Jusuf Nurkic.

LeBron James’ hand check

James, known for the high jumps and spectacular dunks, was incredible with the ball in the game. In the 19 minutes, he got 14 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds. But as he jumped along with Jusuf Nurkic of the Phoenix Suns to get hold of the ball, he struck his groin. Seemingly un-intentional, the Bosnian star seemed to feel the pain, as LeBron failed to get his hand on the ball.

Jusuf Nurkic was going for a rebound against the Suns and with LeBron’s strike, he fell on the ground with a dull thud. The referees didn’t think it deserved a technical foul, and that didn’t go well with the fans of the Phoenix Suns. As the game progressed, LeBron James went on to register 31 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds. Austin Reaves’ 3 points in the last 15 seconds also did the trick for the Lakers who shall meet Orlando Magic in the semis. But the Suns fans think that it was not the spectacular performance of the Lakers players that won them the match.

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Controversial call stains game

With 18 seconds left on the clock, Austin Reaves sunk a clutch three-pointer to put the Lakers ahead 105-101. In retaliation, Kevin Durant dribbled the length of the court and scored a layup that put the Suns 105-103 behind, with 7 seconds left. Off the inbound, Reaves, Durant, and Devin Booker had a scuffle, and the ball was eventually knocked loose. However, the referee’s whistle had blown and called for a timeout for the Lakers.

Fans were left in disbelief, as a few replays showed the ball was on common ground, and not in Reaves’ possession when the timeout was called. This in turn denied Phoenix the chance to tie the game at 105 and force OT.

While Suns players reacted and tried to claim a coach’s challenge, they were let down as the NBA rules don’t allow challenges for a non-foul related call. This timeout led to the Lakers scoring one free throw and effectively ensured that the Suns didn’t have a way back in it.

What do you make of the call? Was James lucky not to get a technical for the collision with Nurkic? Leave your thoughts below.