Anthony Davis is the reason the Lakers have won two games in a row... unless you ask Raptors coach Darko Rajaković, who lays the blame at the feet of the referee.
With center Jakob Poeltl out indefinitely with a sprained ankle, the Raptors struggled to find a matchup for Anthony Davis. The Lakers star went off for 41 points on 13-of-17 shooting with 11 rebounds, taking over in the fourth quarter with 20 of those points and helping the Lakers hold on for a 132-131 win at Crypto.com Arena.
Anthony Davis with a season-high 41 PTS including 20 in the 4th quarter 😤
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2024
Lakers get the W. pic.twitter.com/2J6SofE8XS
Davis’ performance may not have been the biggest fireworks of the night.
Raptors coach Rajaković was fuming after the game over the officiating, a game where the Lakers shot 36 free throws to the Raptors’ 13 – a spread that was 23-2 in the fourth quarter. Rajaković will get fined for his postgame comments, but at least he got his money’s worth.
Darko Rajakovic was outraged at the free throw disparity during Raptors-Lakers:
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) January 10, 2024
"This is shame. Shame for the referees, shame for the league to allow this. 23 free throws for them, and we get 2 free throws in the 4th quarter?" pic.twitter.com/9gjifHav8W
“They had to win tonight? If that’s the case just let us know so we don’t show up for the game. Just give them a win. But that was not fair tonight.”
That comment in particular is going to draw a healthy fine for the rookie coach. After watching the game, he may be more frustrated with the close loss as there were not a lot of obvious wrong calls we saw — the Lakers worked inside out and used their size advantage inside, which led to the calls.
LeBron James added 22 points and 12 assists for the Lakers, and Christian Wood added 14. The Raptors had a more balanced attack with seven players in double-figures (including all five starters), and Scottie Barnes led the way with 26 points.
The Raptors are now 3-2 since the trade that sent OG Anunoby to New York and brought Isaiah Quickley and RJ Barrett, but those losses show Toronto has a spark. They’re raw, but they show flashes of what could be next.
