Raptors want to get past their contentious loss to the Clippers tonight on TSN

Following Tuesday’s loss to the Los Angeles

Lakers, Toronto Raptors head coach Darko

Rajakovic went on a tirade, criticizing the teams’

discrepancy in free throw attempts made in the

quarter.

The Lakers defeated the Raptors 132-131 in the

last quarter by making 23 free throws to their

two attempts.

It’s absurd. What transpired today is utterly

absurd,” Rajakovic declared. “It’s a shame.

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, but our team also features

star players.

“How [is it] possible that Scottie Barnes, who is

all-star-calibre 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?” Rajakovic continued, repeatedly

slamming the table to emphasize his point. “How

is that even possible? How will you explain that

to me, please?”  The new head coach of the

Raptors didn’t slow down.  “Had they won

tonight? Please inform us if that is the case so

that we can avoid attending the game “Rajakovic

remarked.

“Just give it to them. But tonight, that was unfair.

We are not experiencing this for the first time.

Scottie Barnes is going to have exceptional talent.

He will represent this league, and everything

that goes on here for the entire season is total

garbage”.

Rajakovic and the Raptors will not have much

more time to mull over the officiating because

they play Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles

Clippers on the same court at Crypto.com Arena

on Wednesday night.

Aside from free throws, the Lakers’ big man

Anthony Davis, who finished with a season-high

41 points on just 17 field goal attempts, was

extremely difficult for the Raptors to control.  In

the fourth quarter, Davis scored twenty points,

grabbing eleven boards and making 11 of his 11

free throws.

Starting center Jakob Poeltl of the Raptors was

out indefinitely after suffering an ankle strain on

Sunday against the Golden State Warriors.

Against Davis, his absence was conspicuous as

6-foot-8 Thad Young started as center.  “We were

all involved,”

Davis stated on Tuesday. “I wasn’t the only one.

major pauses.

They wanted me to get the ball for a free throw

since we had rebounds, but the team was simply

trying to finish by making the right reads.

After a 3–7 start to the season, the Clippers are a

club that has improved over the past few months

and will be faced by the Raptors.

James Harden, who was acquired on November

1st, has become a fixture on the team, averaging

17.4 points per game during his most productive

shooting season to date. Notably, Paul George

and Kawhi Leonard have only missed six games

together so far in 2023–24, making them one of

the NBA’s greatest two-way teams. Together, they

missed 56 games last year.

Following the Clippers’ sixth-consecutive victory

over the Phoenix Suns on Monday, center Ivica

Zubac stated,

“Right now we’re playing at a high level and

everyone is confident.”

This season’s first matchup between the Raptors

and Clippers will take place on Wednesday. On

January 26, they will square off once more in

Toronto.

Hawks and Sixers begin their NBA doubleheader

The Philadelphia 76ers go to Atlanta to play Trae

Young and the Hawks on Wednesday night, prior

to the Raptors’ game against the Clippers.

The Sixers (23–12) are coming off double-digit losses to the Utah Jazz and New York Knicks over the weekend.

Joel Embiid, the MVP of the previous season, will

be sidelined on Wednesday due to swelling in his

left knee.

The Hawks (14–21) are one game off of the final

play-in berth in the Eastern Conference and have

also dropped their last two games. Young leads

the NBA in scoring per game with 27.8, and

Tyrese Maxey of the 76ers is not far behind in

13th place with 25.9.

 

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