Kings’ Mike Brown Lashes Out Against NBA Officiating After Suns Loss

Sacramento’s head coach had some choice words for NBA referees.

Apr 12, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown reacts to a call / Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

The Sacramento Kings picked up their fifth loss in their last six games on Friday night, coming up short against the Phoenix Suns by a score of 108-107. It’s been a rough stretch for the Kings after losing guards Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk for the remainder of the season.

With the season winding down to a close, the Kings are locked into the play-in tournament, something they spent the last few months trying to avoid. From defensive issues at the beginning of the season to present problems finding an offensive identity, head coach Mike Brown has seen a variety of troubles come his way.

Unfortunately, some of these troubles are uncontrollable for Mike Brown. After a number of missed calls in the league’s Last 2 Minutes reports, Sacramento’s head honcho voiced his frustrations with the amount of calls that have gone against the Kings in clutch time (via @SeanCunningham | X):

“In Oklahoma, Shai traveled. In Boston, Colby got smacked across the face. In real time, when you’re trying to plead your case, guys look at you and say there was no contact or there was no this or no that. It’s tough when you can’t get a call and the officials feel like they’re right, and then the 2 Minute Report comes out and Shai traveled and Colby got smacked in the face.”

Upset with a lack of consistency, the ringleader for the Kings reasonably expressed why he’s mad at the league, with an unfair bias being pressed against his team. In the middle of a playoff push, poor officiating is the last thing any head coach wants to deal with.

While there’s been a number of fouls overlooked by the refs, Friday night’s L2M report saw nothing wrong with officials. Brown (and the rest of the team) were looking for a foul call on De’Aaron Fox late in the game, but the report said no contact was made between Fox and his defender.

There’s only one game remaining on the schedule for the Kings, and it’s a big one against the Portland Trail Blazers as the team looks to keep home-court advantage in the play-in tournament with a win on Sunday afternoon.

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