Miles Bridges is the latest star to complain about the refs favoring the Lakers

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges expressed his frustration with the trial after Monday night 121-111 loss to the Los Angeles Lakersbecoming the latest player to question whether the Lakers are getting preferential treatment from the referees.

Bridges’ comments came during a halftime interview with the Hornets trailing 65-63.

“It’s hard to guard guys when they foul every possession,” Bridges said. “So we just have to do our best to control what we can control and move on.”

The remarks quickly went viral on social media, sparking another round of debate about the Lakers’ frequent trips to the free throw line in close contests. Despite the Hornets’ strong offensive play, they were unable to overcome costly turnovers and defensive lapses against a Los Angeles team led by Luka Doncic’s standout performance.

Bridges had one of his best games of the season, scoring a team-high 34 points to go along with eight rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block. He shot 11 of 19 from the field and 7 of 12 from three-point range, while making five of six free throws in 40 minutes.

Rookie guard Kon Knueppel came close to his first career triple-double, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and a steal on 6-of-11 shooting. The Hornets shot a combined 52.8% from the field and made 20 of their 22 free-throw attempts, compared to the Lakers’ 17-of-20.

Miles Bridges: ‘It’s hard to guard guys when they foul every possession’

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— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) November 11, 2025

Turnovers overshadow strong performance by Miles Bridges as Hornets fall to Lakers

The foul count remained relatively even, with Charlotte committing 25 fouls to Los Angeles’ 22. However, the reversals proved to be decisive. The Hornets turned the ball over 23 times, leading to 31 points for the Lakers, while Los Angeles committed just 11 turnovers that resulted in 22 points.

Doncic continued his dominant start to the season with 38 points, seven assists, six rebounds and a steal. He shot 14 of 18 from the field and a perfect 5 of 5 from the free throw line in 38 minutes. Austin Reaves added 24 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals, making eight of his 11 free throws.

The loss marked Charlotte’s third straight loss, dropping the team to 3-7 on the season. The Hornets will complete a doubleheader at home on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks (7-4) before facing the same opponent again on the road on Friday.

The Lakers, improving to 8-3, will continue their five-game nationally televised road trip matchup against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder (10-1) on Wednesday night at 9:30 PM ET on ESPN.

Bridges’ remarks add to a growing chorus of players questioning the consistency of officiating in games involving the Lakers, a topic that continues to garner attention around the league.