Paul George Says 76ers Got 'Home-Court Cooking' from Refs in Win vs. Clippers

The Philadelphia 76ers have been nearly unbeatable at home this season, posting a 25-2 record at Wells Fargo Center while 10 games under .500 on the road.

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George gave his reasoning for the Sixers' latest victory after L.A. fell 110-103 in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.

"Some home-court cooking tonight, to say the least," George told reporters postgame.

When asked to explain further, George pointed to the foul disparity on the night. The Sixers had 11 team fouls to the Clippers' 19.

Maybe George was subtle enough in his criticism of the referees that he'll be able to avoid a fine from the NBA—which generally frowns upon negative comments made about the officiating. Or maybe he was feeling emboldened by the league's decision not to punish Damian Lillard in the wake of his comments about officials missing a goaltending call that cost Portland a game last week, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

In any case, George chose his words carefully, but perhaps not accurately enough.

The Clippers rank 26th in the league with an average of 22 team fouls per game. The Sixers come in at 16th (20.9 fouls per game). That may not make up a difference of eight fouls on the spot; however, these things tend to even out over time. A team gets an unlucky call and curses the refs one day, is the beneficiary of an awkward call and praises them the next.

This has been a bit of a rough stretch lately for the Clippers. After a frenetic trade deadline in which they acquired Marcus Morris Sr., the Clippers were blown out by a Timberwolves team that was on a 13-game losing streak. The matchup against the Sixers provided another opportunity to feast on a struggling team before the All-Star break. Instead, they dropped their second contest in three games.

Fortunately for George, he has a chance to prove his frustrations correct soon. Philadelphia visits the Clippers in Los Angeles on March 1 in another nationally televised game. George's comments likely won't have been forgotten by the Sixers by then.