Paul George calls the referees after the Clippers’ loss to the Nuggets

The Clippers star was angry with the referees after the Nuggets’ 111-108 win over the Clippers at Ball Arena on Tuesday night.

George led all scorers with 35 points and seven rebounds, but the Clippers lost their sixth straight game and fifth with Harden in the lineup.

George said he should have gone to the line more than the five times the crew called Josh Tiffin, Natalie Sago and Matt Boland during the game. George was whistled for a technical foul for arguing with the officials that he was fouled on a breakaway dunk he missed late in the second quarter.

“I thought we played great,” George said. “It’s difficult, it’s difficult to play against the extra three [officials]. I thought they were terrible. but, [against the] Defending champions, we have to play better. There is a lot we can be positive about. “I’m not all for morale-boosting wins, but I think we showed more signs of a team that’s close to getting over the hump tonight.”

The Clippers reduced their deficit by 13 points and took a seven-point lead six minutes before the end of the fourth period. In a hotly contested end, George had a chance to send the game to overtime when his contested 3-pointer with 7.6 seconds left got wedged between the rim and the backboard.

The Clippers lost the ensuing jump shot to Nikola Jokic (32 points, 16 rebounds, nine assists), and Denver ended the game. The Nuggets conceded 32 free throws compared to 24 for the Clippers, and George said there should have been a lot more free throws to the line, especially when it came to his night.

“It was bad,” George said when asked how the match ended. “Five free throws is very disrespectful on this night. I was getting hit so many times by layups and 3-pointers, it was consistent.

“Jump shots, getting hit, getting hit on the forearm. I mean, it was a bad, bad job. But, again, we’ve got to be able to beat these guys at home and not rely on that. Again, they did it.” [are] Calling something on the one hand, they have to call it on the other.”