CNN — After the Toronto Raptors’ close 132-131 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, head coach Darko Rajaković took a jab at the officials.
The difference in free throw attempts made by the two teams—the Lakers made 36 in the game compared to the Raptors’ 13—infuriated Rajaković.
The Lakers made 23 free throws in the fourth quarter alone, while the Raptors made just two.
“It’s ridiculous,” raged Rajaković. “What transpired this evening is really ridiculous. It is shameful. Disgrace to the umpires. It’s a shame the league let this happen. They get twenty-three free throws, and in the fourth quarter, we only get two? For example, how do I play the game?
“We have star players on our team as well, and I understand the respect for All-Stars and everything.” How is it possible that Scottie Barnes, an All-Star player in this league, only gets two free throws throughout a game despite going to the rim frequently, forcing himself to get there, and not trying to draw fouls?
“How is that even possible? In what way will you explain that to me?To try and discourage players from inflating opponent contact and selling fouls to referees, the NBA instituted a flopping penalty before to the current season’s commencement.
With a total of 41 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists, Lakers center Anthony Davis made 11 free throws in the fourth quarter alone to help the team win by a slim margin.
“Tonight, they came to win? Please inform us if that is the case so we won’t attend the game,” Rajaković said. Just hand them the victory. But tonight, that was unfair.
And this is not the first time that this has happened to us. Scottie Barnes will be a future All-Star. He will represent this league and everything going on here for the duration of the season, which is total garbage.
For the Lakers, LeBron James finished with 22 points, 12 assists, and five rebounds. Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, Austin Reeves,D’Angelo Russell and Christian Wood both had double-figure scoring.
After being acquired from the New York Knicks, RJ Barrett has been playing well for the Raptors. He finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, and Barnes added 26 points, six assists, and three rebounds.
Immanuel Quickley, who was also acquired in the Barrett trade, scored 21 points, while Pascal Siakam contributed another 25 points.
In the meanwhile, Rajaković could anticipate paying a sizable fine to the NBA for his outburst on Tuesday night.After the victory, the Lakers are now 19-19 and ranked 10th in the Western Conference, while the Raptors are now 15-22 and ranked 11th in the East.
