“Chris Paul don’t play on this team”: Jusuf Nurkic sounds off on Scott Foster’s officiating 

Despite the fact that the Phoenix Suns had 15 free throw attempts compared to the OKC Thunder’s one, veteran NBA referee Scott Foster’s performance during their 123-108 loss on Friday did not impress Jusuf Nurkic. The player criticized Foster for his questionable calls, despite there being no noticeable discrepancy in free throws.

The center for the Suns attributed almost half of the team’s 14 turnovers for the night to that mistake. In a lighthearted manner, Nurkic playfully reminded Foster of the ongoing tension between him and former Suns player, Chris Paul.

“Six of them (turnovers) probably as like offensive fouls, travels,”Jusuf Nurkic said (via Suns’ beat reporters Duane Rankin). “I mean, Scott Foster, respectfully, needs to that Chris Paul don’t play on this team no more. I mean, all joking aside, it just, sometimes feels that way.”

Despite having a record of 2-18 when Scott Foster officiates his games, Chris Paul has maintained a professional attitude towards the referee. However, during the Golden State Warriors’ Nov. 22 123-115 loss, Paul was ejected by Foster after a heated altercation broke out between the two. Paul later disclosed that he and Foster have ‘personal’ issues, and it may be related to his son.

Despite attempts to keep it under wraps, it is widely known that the two well-known NBA figures have a strong dislike for each other, particularly evident when Jusuf Nurkic mentioned their ongoing feud while voicing his grievances about Foster.

Jusuf Nurkic praises OKC Thunder’s resilience despite officiating controversies

Despite feeling they were not receiving as much support from the referees as their opponents, Jusuf Nurkic and the Suns did not solely attribute this to their loss against the Shai Gilegous-Alexander-less Thunder. Nurkic instead praised the Thunder for their strong performance in the game, stating:

“I don’t take away from OKC what they did and I give them credit. They played a good game and they’re really confident in what they’re doing.”

Coach Frank Vogel had already criticized Lu Dort for ‘flopping’ before Nurkic made a Chris Paul reference about Scott Foster, leading up to Sunday’s match against the New Orleans Pelicans.

“The league has got to look all the flopping that Lu Dort does cause it’s ridiculous how he gets calls,”Vogel said (via Suns’ beat reporter Duane Rankin).

“If they’re going to get calls like that, then you’re going to have an advantage. You can’t just fall down every time there’s contact and get a whistle.”

The defeat proved to be a setback for Phoenix as it hindered their opportunity to distance themselves from the ninth-ranked LA Lakers. The Lakers, who were two games behind Phoenix, had also suffered a loss against the Indiana Pacers earlier in the day.

However, the Suns were unable to narrow the distance between them and the sixth-ranked Dallas Mavericks, as the Mavericks hold a 1.5 game lead with two fewer losses than Phoenix.