LOS ANGELES –
Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic went on a furious, table-pounding tirade against the officiating after the Los Angeles Lakers shot 23 free throws in the fourth quarter of a 132-131 win over the Raptors(opens in a new tab) on Tuesday night.
Rajakovic, Toronto’s first-year Serbian head coach, ripped the game’s free throw disparity after Anthony Davis scored 20 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter while going 11 for 11 at the line in the final period. Davis shot 14 of the Lakers’ 36 free throws in the game, while the entire Toronto roster shot only 13.
“It’s outrageous. What happened tonight, this is completely B.S.,” Rajakovic said. “This is shame. Shame for the referees. Shame for the league to allow this. Twenty-three free throws for them, and we get two free throws in the fourth quarter? Like, how to play the game? I understand respect for All-Stars and all that, but we have star players on our team as well.
“How (is it) possible that Scottie Barnes, who is All-Star-caliber player in this league, he goes every single time to the rim with force and trying to get to the rim without flopping and not trying to get foul calls, he gets two free throws for a whole game?” Rajakovic added, slapping the table repeatedly for emphasis. “How is that possible? How are you going to explain that to me?”