Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic blasts officials for benefiting Lakers: ‘Shame for the league’

After the Raptors lost the Lakers on Tuesday night by only one point, coach Darko Rajakovic went on a rant to express his immense frustration with the officiating. The trainer, who is in his first year leading the Toronto squad, was furious by the free throw discrepancy, especially in the last quarter of the match where the purple and gold were given 23. 

Rajakovic disappointment was inspired by Anthony Davis‘ 11-11 performance from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, adding up to his 41-point tally. Incredible as it may sound, the Los Angeles center alone had more shots from the line than the entire Raptors team, to what the rival coach called “outrageous.”

“It’s outrageous. What happened tonight, this is completely B.S.,” Darko expressed. “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? Like, how to play the game? I understand respect for All-Stars and all that, but we have star players on our team as well.”

Raptors HC Darko Rajakovic was heated in the postgame presser, unhappy with the Lakers 23 free throw attempts in the 4Q pic.twitter.com/1xvoXrUM6k

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 10, 2024

According to the Serbian trainer, there exists a clear disparity in the treatment of players, as he considers his team also has star athletes. Scottie Barnes, for example, was only awarded two free throws despite Lakers’ aggresive defending.

“How (is it) possible that Scottie Barnes, who is All-Star-caliber player in this league, he goes every single time to the rim with force and trying to get to the rim without flopping and not trying to get foul calls, he gets two free throws for a whole game?” the coach added. “How is that possible? How are you going to explain that to me?”

Rajakovic ended his rant by insinuating that the Los Angeles club is treated differently by officials, and that next time they want them to win, better let his team know so they don’t even show up for the match.

“They had to win tonight? If that’s the case, just let us know, so we don’t show up for the game,” Darko claimed. “Just give them a win. But that was not fair tonight. And this is not happening first time for us. Scottie Barnes is gonna be (an) All-Star. He’s gonna be the face of this league, and what’s happening over here during whole season … it’s complete crap.”

The Raptors roster increased their respect for their coach after he challenged the referees postgame

After Rajakovic’s viral defense of his squad, some experts suggest he might face a significant fine by the NBA. However, his players only respect him more after his postgame rant, as they perceived it as his solid commitment to the club.

“It just says that he’s all for us as a family, as a team,” said Thaddeus Young. “We’re always going to stick together. We’re always going to be behind one another as a family, as a team. We’re always going to stick together, and he’s always been behind us since Day One coming in here. We love Darko to death. We think the world of Coach, and we definitely appreciate him going to bat for us.”

On the other end of the court, the Lakers were happy to secure their second victory in a row. This time, Davis was able to perform late in the game, unlike other recent matches, and clinch the contest with free throws. The All-Star dedicated praise to his entire team for the win.

“It was all of us,” AD explained. “It wasn’t just me. Big-time stops. We got rebounds, and they wanted me to get the ball as far as free throws, but the team was just making the right reads and trying to finish.”