Another Oklahoma City Thunder play and another call in favor of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The protests against the reigning NBA champions and the reigning MVP have been rampant on social media for months, and another head-scratching moment against the New York Knicks only added more fuel. In the first quarter, with 2 minutes left, the Thunder star made a tough basket, but the way he made it drew suspicion after Jalen Brunson got himself in the right position.

Brunson went down hard after absorbing contact from Gilgeous-Alexander. But instead of the call going in favor of the Knicks, the whistle blew in favor of the visitors. This would have been the third foul on the Thunder star early in the game, and it could’ve changed how they approached the rest of it.

Brunson smartly positioned himself to take the charge and draw an offensive foul outside the restricted area. But the referees didn’t make the call. There’s nothing more you could have done if you were the Knicks on that possession. That’s why head coach Mike Brown was furious, and he did not hesitate to let the officials know.

Brown began screaming at the officials and was issued a technical foul. Unlike other coaches who have been ejected against the Thunder, the Knicks’ coach said his piece, received a T, and then did not engage further. Either way, the viewers couldn’t believe what just happened.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder leave fans perplexed after yet another referee incident

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is elite at initiating contact without getting tagged. But three fouls in the first quarter would have had him on a tightrope. The fans felt the referees avoided the situation by favoring the Thunder. While Brunson’s protest or Brown’s frustration appeared justified, this viewer knew exactly what went down.

“Maybe the most blatant miss ever,” a fan wrote.

It has happened before, and at that time, the Golden State Warriors were on the receiving end in early January. The referee, who was 40 feet away on the opposite side, suddenly called a foul on Al Horford for contact against Gilgeous-Alexander. The crowd, players, and social media were confused.

Replays showed Horford jumping to block the reigning MVP’s shot without making any contact. Stephen Curry had his hands in the air in disbelief, while Steve Kerr hesitated before saying something in anger from the bench.

“Who in the league is protecting SGA? Do the officials have money on him for season long props?” a fan commented.

Other coaches have received technical fouls that have led to ejections during Thunder games. The Minnesota Timberwolves head coach, Chris Finch, was unapologetically blunt in his assessment of the Thunder after he thought he was unfairly ejected.

“It’s so frustrating to play this team because they foul a ton,” Finch said in 2025. “They really do. They foul, they foul all the time. And then you can’t really touch Shai. It’s a very frustrating thing, and it takes a lot of mental toughness to play through it.”

Brown’s frustration was also justified, and a fan trolled Gilgeous-Alexander for it.

“Ofc the refs gotta protect SGA again 😂😂,” an observer wrote.

Earlier in the season, even Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was on the receiving end of a tech. He wanted some time to decide whether to challenge a call. Still, the officials let the ball be inbounded after less than five seconds. Carlisle was upset and started arguing with the ref, which led to a technical foul. Since more teams have suffered the same outcome against OKC, it has become a ridiculous pattern.

“Bruh this is why i can’t respect the thunder,” a fan wrote.

Add to that the physicality and plays that the Thunder get away with, especially their veteran, Lu Dort, who was under heavy scrutiny for his behavior against the Nuggets. Dort appeared to deliberately place himself in the path of Nikola Jokic, tripping the three-time MVP and sending him crashing to the hardwood. Because the Serbian big man reacted, the referees apparently had no choice but to hand Dort a Flagrant Foul 2, resulting in automatic ejection.

Another observer wrote, “And okc fans, wonder why, nobody likes this team.”

In the same Nuggets game, Gilegous-Alexander was also issued a technical foul after a cheap play on Jokic. The Thunder star threw the ball at Jokic off the referee’s whistle and then claimed that he was pushed. However, the replays don’t show the Joker making any illegal contact.

For someone who once said, “I don’t care, not one bit,” about the referee’s decisions, he surprisingly finds himself in the spotlight for the same reasons every week.