Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome was not happy with the referees during his team’s Sunday game against the Portland Trail Blazers, and he singled out female official Natalie Sago.
The Cavaliers barely escaped with a win in a 133-129 overtime win over the Blazers at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The East’s top-seeded Cavs trailed by as many as 18 points late in the third quarter and clawed their way back to force OT and steal the victory.
The game was an absolute slog with both squads combining to shoot 70 free throws. The Cavaliers’ sixth man Jerome did not filter his feelings when asked about the sluggish contest during his postgame press conference. Jerome blasted the officiating and even singled out official Natalie Sago for being worse than the rest.
“Yeah, I thought the refs were really bad tonight,” said Jerome. “Especially Natalie [Sago], she was really bad. When stuff like that happens, they kind of lose control of the game and you’ve just got to keep your head. First half was ridiculous, third quarter was horrendous.”
Sago is in her sixth season serving as an NBA referee.
Sunday’s foul-heavy matchup made it hard for either side to form a rhythm. That played into the hands of the underdog Blazers, who nearly prevented the Cavaliers from getting their third 10-game winning streak of the season.
Virginia alums Jerome and De’Andre Hunter prevented the upset from happening. The two combined for 57 points. Jerome also added 6 assists career-high 6 steals off the Cavs’ bench.
