LOS ANGELES – Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic launched a furious tirade against the referees after the Los Angeles Lakers made 23 free throws in the fourth quarter of a 132-131 victory over the Raptors on Tuesday night.
Rajakovic, Toronto's first-year head coach, broke the game's free throw disparity after Anthony Davis scored 20 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter and was 11 of 11 at the line in the fourth quarter. Davis shot 14 of the Lakers' 36 free throws, while Toronto's entire roster shot just 13.
“It's outrageous. What happened tonight is complete nonsense,” Rajakovic said. “This is a shame. A shame for the referees. A shame for the league for allowing this. Twenty-three free throws for them and we received two free throws in the fourth quarter? How to play the game? I understand the respect for everyone” . -Stars and all that, but we also have star players on our team.
“As [is it] It's possible that Scottie Barnes, who is an All-Star caliber player in this league, going to the rim hard every time and trying to get to the rim without falling over and without trying to get fouled, gets two free throws for a game complete?” Rajakovic added, banging the table repeatedly for emphasis. “How is that possible? How are you going to explain that to me?”
Davis grabbed 11 rebounds and was 13 of 17 as he led the Lakers down the stretch. He completed his masterful performance by scoring 10 points in the final 1:01, including eight free throws without a miss, and making a key block on Barnes.
Davis' 14 free throw attempts were a season high for the Lakers big man.
“He was able to get a lot of touches and guys were finding him,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said of Davis. “And his ability to get to the free throw line and make free throws, it's just a matter of reading the game and seeing how it goes.”
Rajakovic apparently believed the referees never gave his team a chance.
“Did you have to win tonight? If that's the case, let us know so we don't show up for the match,” Rajakovic said. “You just have to give them a win. But that wasn't fair tonight. And this isn't happening to us for the first time. Scottie Barnes is going to be [an] Stars game. “He's going to be the face of this league, and what's going on here all season… is complete bullshit.”
Barnes scored 26 points and Pascal Siakam scored 25 for the Raptors, who lost for just the second time in five games since acquiring RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley from New York for OG Anunoby. Barrett scored 23 points and Quickley scored 21 with four 3-pointers, but he was fouled when he elbowed Cam Reddish in the face for a flagrant foul with 3:52 left.
Barrett was called for an offensive foul that negated a tying 3-pointer by Barnes with 24.8 seconds left.
When asked if he had been given an explanation for the offensive foul, Rajakovic replied: “No, there is no explanation.” He said the referees will review the plays and “see what they want to see,” adding: “They don't listen to us or what we have to say. They don't want to listen to the players.”
“How are we supposed to play? There's a lot going on, but I tell our guys to be professional, keep fighting, keep going for the next one. But until when? For how long?”
“Did they have to win tonight? If that's the case, let us know so we don't show up for the game. Just give them a win. But that wasn't fair tonight. And this isn't happening for the first time for us.” “.
Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic
Free throws were relatively even through the first three quarters, 13 for Los Angeles and 11 for Toronto, before the Lakers' total skyrocketed in the fourth.
LeBron James, when asked about the discrepancy, said: “I feel like they fouled and we didn't.”
Rajakovic's rant will likely earn him a hefty fine from the NBA, but his players seemed to appreciate his verbal combativeness.
“It just says he's all for us as a family, as a team,” said Thaddeus Young, who scored 10 points as Toronto's starting center in place of the injured Jakob Poeltl. “We're always going to stay together. We're always going to stand behind each other as a family, as a team. We're always going to stay together, and he's always been behind us since the first day he got here. We love Darko to death. “We thought a lot about the coach and definitely appreciated him hitting for us.”
Information from Dave McMenamin of ESPN and The Associated Press was included in this report.
