‘Complete crap’: Coach rips refs, Lakers in all-time rant after Q4 free throw ‘shame’ — NBA Wrap

Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic delivered one of many angriest rants in current NBA historical past after the LA Lakers got 23 last-quarter free throws in a 132-131 win.

The Lakers escaped by the pores and skin of their tooth at residence with the Raptors shocked when a tying three-pointer was worn out by an offensive foul on RJ Barrett within the last 30 seconds.

Minutes earlier fellow ex-Knick Immanuel Quickley fouled out, whereas Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves hit 10 free throws within the final 34 seconds of the sport alone.

Watch a median of 9 NBA Regular Season video games per week LIVE on ESPN, obtainable through Kayo. Join Kayo now and begin streaming immediately >

In whole the Raptors went eight of 13 on free throws, whereas the Lakers shot 28 of 36.

“That’s outrageous. What happened tonight, this is completely BS,” Rajakovic declared post-game.

“Shame for the referees, shame for the league to allow this. 23 free throws for them and we get two free throws in the fourth quarter.

“How (are we supposed) to play the game? I understand, respect for all stars, but we have star players on our team as well. Scottie Barnes, who’s an All-Star calibre player in this league, he goes every single time to the rim with force without flopping and not trying to get foul calls. He gets two foul calls for the entire game. How are you gonna explain that to me?

“They get to win tonight? If that’s the case, just let us know so we don’t show up for the game, give them the win. But this was not fair tonight.

He concluded: “It’s complete crap.”

STAGGERING IMPACT OF TRADE MASTERSTROKE LAID BARE

The Knicks received their first 9 video games with Josh Hart of their line-up following his deadline acquisition final February, and OG Anunoby is also having fun with a wildly profitable introduction to New York.

Anunoby scored a team-best 23 factors on 9-for-12 capturing with 4 made 3-pointers Wednesday (all instances AEDT) within the Knicks’ wire-to-wire 112-84 rout of the Trail Blazers — and he deservedly was showered with loud chants of “O-G” a number of instances from the Garden crowd.

The instantaneous fan favorite had one other huge two-way impression, ending plus-26 in 29 minutes to spice up his staggering general ranking to a cumulative plus-111 throughout his 5-0 begin with the Knicks since a late December commerce from the Raptors throughout a interval New York has been the one undefeated staff.

According to Tommy Beer, Anunoby is the primary participant in NBA historical past to have a plus/minus of 100-plus in his first 5 video games with a brand new staff.

“If it continued at that level, I would obviously be very pleased,” Tom Thibodeau stated of Anunoby with fun earlier than the sport. “When you come in and you’re in the middle of the season, you’re adjusting on the fly. It’s how quickly can you adapt?

“And I told him that I feel like he’s playing great, just because of the impact that he’s having when he’s on the floor.”

Julius Randle added 20 factors, and Jalen Brunson registered 12 with seven assists — with neither enjoying within the fourth quarter — in a radical pounding of the rebuilding Blazers (10-26).

Quentin Grimes (17 factors), Miles McBride (16) and Donte DiVincenzo (13) additionally scored in double figures because the Knicks (22-15 general) improved to 15-1 this season in opposition to groups that had posted a dropping report getting into Wednesday’s motion — with their lone loss versus sub-.500 groups coming in opposition to the Jazz in mid-December.

“You play those games, and when the year ends, you are looking at seeding and all that different type of stuff, and you don’t want to look at the schedule and say these are the games that got away,” Randle stated. “You want to make sure you are taking care of your business.”

Brunson had been named the Eastern Conference’s Player of the Week on Tuesday for the second time this season, solely bolstering his case for the primary All-Star designation of his profession.

Brunson, was snubbed one yr in the past — with Randle representing the Knicks at All-Star weekend for the second time in his profession. But the $104 million level guard has posted profession highs in scoring (25.6 factors per sport), assists (6.5) and 3-point share (42.6 per cent) by way of the staff’s first 37 video games.

The Knicks started play Wednesday in a five-way logjam for the fourth by way of eighth playoff positions within the East, and Thibodeau believes the stacking of extra wins ought to assist Brunson’s case.

“In my eyes, he is (deserving), yeah, but I think it’s a by-product of winning,” Thibodeau stated. “I always say there’s so many great players in the league, and many are deserving. I know from when I vote, and obviously I don’t have a vote for my own players, but it comes down to the end, and it’s a tough job.

“But there’s guys that are real close, and usually the thing that sways the close votes, is the amount of winning that player does. So hopefully we can continue to build and win and our players get recognised. But in my eyes, he’s certainly deserving.”

Brunson, who presently ranks sixth amongst backcourt gamers within the All-Star fan voting, additionally acquired a pregame endorsement from former Knick and present Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, a five-time All-Star guard and a former NBA champion with the Pistons.

“I’m a huge fan of Jalen. I think he’s a winner more than anything,” Billups stated. “You can talk about how crafty he is and how he can score and how he’s just a winner. He makes big plays. He makes winning plays. He’s leading the league in taking charges and he’s just a winner.”

Brunson managed solely 4 factors within the first quarter, largely deferring the early scoring load to Anunoby, who drained 4 of 5 3-point makes an attempt and netted 16 factors, because the Knicks raced to a 38-22 lead.

McBride and Grimes got here off the bench and drilled two 3-pointers apiece within the first half, combining for 14 factors because the Knicks prolonged their benefit to 63-41 by intermission.

Brunson and Randle completed the half with 10 factors apiece, and Anunoby added one free throw within the second to match his earlier excessive of 17 with the Knicks, who led by as many as 39 within the third.

-This story was first printed by Peter Botte in The New York Post and reproduced with permission.

ELSEWHERE …

The Sacramento Kings recovered a 19-point deficit to take down the Detroit Pistons 131-110 and hand extra ache to Monty Williams’ facet.

The Cade Cunningham-less Pistons exploded out of the gates with a 47-point opening time period earlier than main 59-40 with seven minutes remaining within the first half. From that time on, Sacramento outscored Detroit 91-51 in a dominant stretch.

Domantas Sabonis (37 factors, 10 rebounds, 13 assists, three steals), Keegan Murray (32 factors, 5 triples, two blocks), De’Aaron Fox (26 factors, 4 threes) all fired for Sacramento, who improved to 22-14 to consolidate the fourth seed within the Western Conference.

Bojan Bogdanovic’s 26 factors led the Pistons and Jaden Ivey dropped 22 of his personal as Detroit dropped a fifth-straight sport and had its NBA-worst report slide to 3-24.

In the later sport, the Memphis Grizzlies took care of the Dallas Mavericks in a 120-103 win to enhance to 2-0 with out Ja Morant.

Desmond Bane went off for 32 factors and Marcus Smart scored 23 in simply 21 minutes earlier than a finger harm prematurely ended his night time.

Though it was an harm Smart initially performed by way of — together with hitting a 3 with a dislocated finger — earlier than exiting the sport for the locker room and never returning to the courtroom.

The Grizzlies, who had been additionally lacking Jaren Jackson Jr along with Morant, improved to 14-23 general.

Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic mixed for 64 factors, however it wasn’t sufficient because the Mavs sunk to 22-16 on the season.

Josh Green went scoreless in 23 minutes in a sport to neglect for the Aussie, whereas Dante Exum remained sidelined with a harm.

ALL RESULTS

TIMBERWOLVES 113 MAGIC 92

KINGS 131 PISTONS 110

TRAIL BLAZERS 84 KNICKS 113

GRIZZLIES 120 MAVERICKS 103

RAPTORS 131 LAKERS 132