NBA fines Toronto Raptors coach $25,000 after he called officiating ‘B.S.’ and a ‘shame’
Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Thursday, two days after he ranted about officiating following his team’s 132-131 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Rajakovic took particular exception to how the Lakers got 23 free throws in the fourth quarter while the Raptors shot only two. The 21 free throw disparity was the largest for any quarter of an NBA game this season.
For the game, the Lakers took 36 free throws — 14 by Anthony Davis alone — and the Raptors took only 13.
“What happened tonight, this is completely B.S.,” Rajakovic said after that game, sometimes hitting the table where he was sitting for emphasis. “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?”
Rajakovic, the Raptors’ first-year head coach, went on to call the game “not fair” and suggested that it wasn’t the first time Toronto felt like it wasn’t officiated on equal footing this season.
Toronto had given up the second-fewest free throws per game in the league entering Tuesday. Opponents averaged 19.5 foul shots this season against the Raptors going into that contest.
Further angering the Raptors: a call where Davis drew a foul on an RJ Barrett screen with 24.8 seconds left, on a play where Scottie Barnes hit a 3-pointer that would have tied the game. The Raptors argued that Davis flopped, to no avail.
“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.”
The Raptors lost again in Los Angeles on Wednesday, falling 126-120 to the Clippers. Before the game, Rajakovic said the loss the night before was behind the team.
“I’m going to always stand up for my team and for my players and for my organization,” he added
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Jazz beat Raptors 145-113 for 7th straight home win
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lauri Markkanen scored 22 points and had nine rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz to a 145-113 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
Jordan Clarkson scored 21 points and Collin Sexton added 20 for the Jazz. Kelly Olynyk tallied a team-high 10 rebounds off the bench. Utah won for the 10th time in 12 games and earned its seventh straight win at home to move to .500 overall.
The Jazz outscored the Raptors 58-32 in the paint and made 21 3-pointers. Utah also had a 68-36 advantage in total rebounds.
Pascal Siakam led Toronto with 27 points. Siakam returned after sitting out Wednesday’s 126-120 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers with back spasms. Scottie Barnes added 19 points and Immanuel Quickly chipped in 15 for the Raptors. Toronto lost a third straight game and finished its six-game road swing with only two victories.
The Jazz built a 56-41 lead late in the second quarter. Markkanen scored back-to-back baskets and sank a pair of free throws to fuel a 14-4 run that put Utah up by double digits. Clarkson punctuated the run with a 3-pointer.
The Raptors struggled to keep pace with Utah despite going 16 of 24 from 3-point range through the first three quarters.
Toronto made only five field goals inside the arc during the first half. Barnes accounted for three of those baskets, the last one coming on a layup that trimmed the deficit to 35-32 early in the second quarter.
Utah started the third quarter by scoring baskets on six straight possessions, extending its lead to 80-56. Simone Fontecchio ignited the run with back-to-back 3-pointers and added a layup in that opening stretch. The Jazz finished with a season-high 41 points in the third quarter.
UP NEXT
Toronto: Hosts Boston on Monday night.
Utah: Hosts the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.
