Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic didn’t hold back when criticizing the officials after his team lost at the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. The Lakers held a 36-13 advantage in free throws for the game, including a 23-2 advantage in the fourth quarter. Over the final four minutes of the game, Los Angeles shot 19 free throws to zero for the Raptors.
“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?”
Rajakovic went as far to suggest the NBA should have told them if the outcome of the game was predetermined.
“They had to win tonight? If that’s the case, just let us know, so we don’t show up for the game,” Rajakovic said. “Just give them a win. But that was not fair tonight. And this is not happening first time for us. Scottie Barnes is going to be [an] All-Star. He’s going to be the face of this league, and what’s happening over here during whole season … it’s complete crap.”