OKLAHOMA CITY — Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick and guard Austin Reaves criticized the officiating after a 125-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals. The defeat sent Los Angeles home facing a 2-0 deficit in the series heading into Game 3 on Saturday.

A number of Lakers players gathered around the referees at midcourt after the game. Reaves, who finished with 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting, said he felt crew chief John Goble crossed the line while players were jockeying for position during a jump ball.

"At the end of the day, we're grown men and I just didn't feel like he needed to yell in my face like that," Reaves said. "I told him if I did that to him first, I would've gotten a tech."

He added that he believed he avoided a technical foul because of the official's conduct. "I feel like the only reason I didn't get a tech was because he knew he was in the wrong," he said.

Redick focused his comments on how LeBron James was officiated. James scored 23 points after a 27-point effort in Game 1 and has attempted just five free throws in the first two games of the series.

"LeBron has the worst whistle of any star player I've ever seen. The smaller guys, because they can be theatric, they typically draw more fouls, and the bigger players that are built like LeBron, it's hard for them. They get clobbered, and he got clobbered again tonight a bunch," Redick said.

Redick also offered a theory on why Oklahoma City players draw a different response from officials. "I think some of the reason they're officiated the way they are is because they don't show emotion. They really take the emotion out of the game. They don't complain to the officials, and maybe they're the beneficiaries of that, I don't know," he said.

The Thunder attempted 26 free throws compared to 21 for the Lakers. Reaves, Marcus Smart and Jaxson Hayes each finished with five fouls. Oklahoma City improved to 6-0 in the playoffs behind 22 points apiece from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, 20 from Ajay Mitchell and 18 from Jared McCain. Los Angeles will host Game 3 on Sunday.