Superstar LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers defended the refereeing during Tuesday’s 132-131 victory over the Toronto Raptors after Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković criticised the disparity in foul calls in the fourth quarter.
After the game, James spoke with reporters (the video starts at 4:02 in), and when questioned about Rajaković’s accusations, James responded matter-of-factly, saying, “I felt like they fouled and we didn’t.”
In his post-match interview, Rajaković criticised the referees, focusing in particular on the fact that the Lakers had 23 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter while Toronto had just two (source: ESPN):
It’s absurd. What transpired tonight is wholly untrue. It is shameful. Disgrace to the umpires. It’s a shame the league let this happen. They get twenty-three free throws, and in the fourth quarter, we only get two? For example, how do I play the game? I get that All-Stars should be respected, and all that, but our team also features star players.
“How [is it] possible that Scottie Barnes, an All-Star player in this league, only gets two free throws during a game while going to the rim repeatedly with effort, trying to get there without stumbling, and not trying to draw fouls? How could that be true? How will you explain that to me, please?”
Rajaković argues that the Lakers scored 44 points in the fourth quarter thanks to their performance at the free-throw line, which was made possible by numerous foul calls during the game.
Despite a dearth of calls going their way, the Raptors scored 42 points in the fourth quarter, but it was insufficient to match Los Angeles, who won by one point.
The Raptors only had 13 shots from the charity stripe and only converted eight of them (61.5 percent) during the game, while the Lakers made 28 of their 36 tries (77.8 percent).
In a game with no defence, both teams shot quite well from the field. Toronto, for example, hit 56.4 percent from the field and 48.6 percent from beyond the arc. The Lakers, meanwhile, made 54.3 percent of their field goals and 44.4 percent of their three-pointers.
With 41 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists, Lakers big man Anthony Davis was clearly the game’s MVP. LeBron contributed 22 points, 12 assists, and five rebounds to the winning effort.
Four starters for the Raptors—Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley—scored between 21 and 26 points each, but the team wasted a balanced offensive effort.
The Raptors’ season record now stands at 15–22 after their loss on Tuesday. They will try to turn things around on Wednesday when they visit the Clippers while still in Los Angeles.
The Lakers, now 19-19, will be off on Wednesday before playing home to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.
