The Toronto Raptors lost in nail-biting fashion 132-131 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. In what was a thrilling back-and-forth game, but all anyone wanted to talk about after the game was the officiating crew of Ben Taylor, Kevin Cutler and Taylor Ricks.
Why? It likely had something to do with the Lakers shooting 23 free throws in the fourth quarter — and the Raptors shooting just two. Squeeze it down to the final four minutes of the game and Los Angeles went to the line 19 times to Toronto’s zero.
A plus-21 difference in free throws for the Lakers was the largest margin between any two teams through a quarter in the NBA this season.
Anthony Davis went to the charity stripe 14 times himself (11 free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter), which was one more than the entire Raptors team combined.
Conversations surrounding the controversy only got louder when Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic sounded off about his displeasure with the officiating in the post-game press conference.
A head coach sticking up for his team after a hard-fought loss is not a surprise. No matter how emphatic his statements were, most would expect him to say something after that kind of defeat.
What was less expected was the varying degrees of support for Toronto that came from media outlets south of the border.
What U.S. media outlets are saying
ESPN: Stephen A. Smith responds to Rajakovic’s post-game comments
“I appreciate his fervor, I appreciate his candor,” Smith said Wednesday on ESPN’s First Take. “Because obviously there was a discrepancy there and any time there’s that big and that flagrant of a discrepancy … most coaches would complain about something like that.”
Sporting News: Is Raptors’ Darko Rajakovic right about Lakers referee bias? What stats, film say about free throw advantage
The undeniable fact is that the Lakers shoot way more free throws than their opponents. They led the league by a massive margin last season, and they’re doing it again (albeit to a lesser degree) this season. — Stephen Noh, Sporting News
FanDuel TV: Former NBA player Chandler Parsons says “Rajakovic has a right to be pissed…”
“It’s insane, you can’t do 23 free throws in the fourth quarter when both teams are playing physical,” Parsons said Wednesday on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back. “He’s got a right to be pissed … I love it as a player … I understand everyone thinks the Lakers get the whistle, the NBA wants the Lakers to win, this is hard to disagree when the discrepancy is 23-2 free throws in the fourth quarter, that’s bananas.”
However, despite the many voices of support, there were still those who didn’t see Tuesday night’s game as a miscarriage of justice.
Fox Sports: Former NFL player Richard Sherman wasn’t convinced the Lakers got a preferential whistle.
“There weren’t a lot of opportunities where I thought, ‘Man, they’re missing these calls for Toronto,’” Sherman said Wednesday on FS1’s Undisputed. “Scottie Barnes might have a gripe for one or two plays, but outside of that, I didn’t see a ton.”
Fox Sports: Colin Cowherd “dismantles” Rajakovic’s arguments about Lakers favouritism.
“It’s the NBA, flops still work,” Cowherd said Wednesday on FS1’s the Herd. “It’s pro sports … the metrics tell you Scottie Barnes doesn’t draw fouls, the Lakers don’t foul … stars get the whistle.”
Lakers star LeBron James was also asked what he thought of the difference in whistles between the teams, and his explanation was quite simple.
“I feel like they fouled and we didn’t,” James said post-game.
