NBA referee Tony Brothers faced significant criticism online after he joked around with Thunder’s Lu Dort, shortly after calling a technical foul on Spurs coach Mitch Johnson. The incident amplified as the referees missed several calls leading up to that moment. One of those was Johnson calling for a challenge, an out-of-bounds call going in Thunder’s favor despite the ball going off Chet Holmgren.
Johnson called for a timeout several times, but the referees didn’t award him one. Johnson lost his composure and was hit with a tech for lashing out at the officials. The score was 98-88 at that point, with the Spurs finally finding some rhythm. However, that crucial mistake, followed by the Spurs not getting a challenge, allowed the Thunder to take control again.
Tony Brothers got berated for it on X and things got worse once he was spotted joking with Dort after calling a foul on him.
One fan documented the series of events:
“Cason Wallace swats the ball out of the basket and goaltend isn’t called, Chet kicks the ball out of bounds and it’s given to OKC, Mitch Johnson calls the challenge right in front of the ref and he just ignores him. All of this then leads to Shai free throws”
Another said:
“They aren’t even hiding it anymore. Its like “what they gonna do about it” we got the commissioner on our side moment”
“im so done with this sport these refs glazing okc im sick to my stomach,” one fan added.
“Most rigged game I’ve ever seen,” one fan said.
“The refs are making some money today. They picked OKC to win,” another alleged.
Mitch Johnson reveals Tony Brothers and referees answers on not giving him a review
Mitch Johnson was asked about Tony Brothers and his crew not giving him a review at the end of the third quarter, as he wanted to challenge the call on the ball going off Chet Holmgren’s foot. While many pondered what happened, Johnson revealed the reason behind it, saying:
“They just said they didn’t see me.”
Johnson didn’t blame the referees beyond this and instead called out his team and Victor Wembanyama. He believed the Spurs lacked on multiple fronts and demanded more from his superstar center. Johnson said Wembanyama needs to score more than 20 and anything less wouldn’t get the job done.
Wembanyama finished with 20 points, shooting a measly 4-for-15. The Spurs lost 127-114.
