"Refs gave this game": NBA fans rip officials after Magic pull off upset win over Celtics 

The Orlando Magic overcame the Boston Celtics on Friday to win their first game in their first-round series, narrowing the defending champions’ series lead to 2-1. The Magic won by just two points, 95-93, as the Magic used a massive third-quarter run to seize control and avoid the dreaded 3-0 disadvantage in the series.

However, there were what many deemed as questionable calls in the game, causing fans to be irate about the result. One of the contentious plays was when Celtics’ guard Derrick White missed a lob pass to Kristaps Porzingis, who seemed to be held down in the final play.

NBA fans flocked to discuss the controversial game on social media, suggesting that the referees wanted the series to be extended, which caused them to favor the Magic in the calls.

“Refs gave this game to the magic,” one fan said on X/Twitter.

“Guess the refs wanted to see a Game 4—should we call this a ‘magic’ clock trick?,” another fan wrote.

“Another refs defined game.. It's incredible how NBA try to make series more interesting by telling the refs which team must win a game,” another fan said.

Other fans called the referees "a joke” for their poor officiating in the game as, they said, it cost the Celtics Game 3 of the series.

“Absolute joke officiating good job nba a little more revenue on a clearly stolen game,” one fan said.

“These refs gotta be on something,” one fan wrote.

“REFS YOU SUCK, REFS YOU SUCK!!!,” a fan added.

The Magic has been playing a physical style throughout the series, causing numerous incidents deemed flagrant fouls in the first two games. In one of the plays in Game 2, Magic’s Goga Bitadze split Porzingis’ head open by falling an arm to his head, leaving the Celtics' big bloodied.

In Game 3, Jaylen Brown was also hurt in a play late in the game, dislocating his finger in his left hand.

With the Magic’s physical plays, the Celtics struggled to take care of the ball, tallying 19 turnovers in the game en route to the loss.

Kristaps Porzingis laments officiating as Magic turns up physicality

Kristaps Porzingis was frustrated about the officiating for the Celtics in Game 3, saying that the Magic were fouling them on numerous occasions, not just merely physical plays.

"I mean, they're just borderline fouling. That's what it is. Borderline fouling and fouling, and some of it, [the referees] call it, of course, and some of it they don't, and that's how it's going to be,” the Celtics big said postgame via ESPN.com.

The Celtics have a chance to bounce back in Game 4 at Kia Center on Sunday as they look to adjust to the Magic’s physicality for the rest of the series.