Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic could face a hefty fine after reprimanding NBA officials for allowing the Lakers a whopping 23 free throws in the fourth quarter of Toronto’s 132-131 loss in Los Angeles.
The 44-year-old Serbian was particularly unhappy with the way his stars were treated compared to LA’s.
While Lakers power forward Anthony Davis had 14 free throws on the night, or 13, the Raptors as a team shot just 13 the entire game, including just two in the final frame.
Additionally, budding Raptors star Scottie Barnes had just two free throws on Tuesday night.
‘It’s outrageous. What happened tonight is complete BS,” Rajakovic said during his angry, fist-pounding tirade at the Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night.
Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic (photo) could face a hefty fine this week
Rajakovic was particularly dissatisfied with the fact that Scottie Barnes (photo) only got two free throws
Lakers center Anthony Davis (right) had 14 free throws, while LeBron James (left) had six
‘This is a shame. Too bad for the referees. Too bad the League allows this. Twenty-three free throws for them, and we get two free throws in the fourth quarter? How do you play the game? I understand respect for All-Stars and all that, but we also have star players on our team.
‘Did they have to win tonight? “If that is the case, please let us know so we don’t show up at the game,” he continued. ‘Just give them a win. But that wasn’t fair tonight.
‘And this is not the first time for us. Scottie Barnes becomes an All-Star. He’s going to be the face of this league, and what’s been happening here all season… it’s complete bullshit.
“How (is it) possible that Scottie Barnes, an All-Star caliber player in this league, is going to the rim with force every time and trying to get to the rim without flopping and without trying to get bad calls, he gets two free throws for a whole game?”
Rajakovic added, hitting the table repeatedly for emphasis. ‘How is that possible? How are you going to explain that to me?’
Davis grabbed 11 rebounds and went 13 for 17 as he pushed the Lakers down the stretch against the Raptors, who were missing injured starting center Jakob Poeltl. Davis 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.
Barnes scored 26 points and Pascal Siakam had 25 for the Raptors, who lost for only 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 had 21 with four 3-pointers for the Raptors, who lost to the Lakers on the road for the second time in their last nine trips.
Scottie Barnes dunks as LeBron James and Anthony Davis watch during Tuesday’s game
Scottie Barnes is defended by Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie on Tuesday night
Rajakovic’s tirade will likely earn him a significant fine from the NBA, but his players seemed to appreciate his verbal combativeness.
“It just says he’s all about it as a family, as a team,” said Thaddeus Young, who scored 10 points as a starter in Toronto.
‘We always stay together. We will always have each other’s back as a family, as a team. We will always be together, and he has always had our back since the first day he came here. We love Darko to death. We think the world of Coach, and we certainly appreciate him fighting for us.”
LeBron James had 22 points and 12 assists for the Lakers, who won back-to-back games for the first time in a month.
They went 3-10 immediately after winning the first NBA In-Season Tournament in December, but they held off the Clippers on Sunday before beating the Raptors to get back to .500 (19-19).
“It was all of us,” said Davis, who had none of his frequent late-game problems hitting key free throws. ‘It wasn’t just me. Major stops. We got rebounds and they wanted me to get the ball as far as the free throws, but the team just made the right reads and tried to finish.”