Raptors lose cool, and the game
Blown call partly to blame for end of winning streak
Get past the emotion TORONTO of the event and this was not what any Toronto Raptors fan wants to see in any end-of game situation once the playoffs begin.
Kyle Lowry fouled out of the game with more than three minutes left and DeMar DeRozan, Serge Ibaka and coach Dwane Casey were all ejected before the final buzzer.
This came at the end of an entertaining first 45 minutes of what ultimately was a 132-125 Raptors loss at the hands of the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder. This tilt, which ended an 11-game winning streak, will be remembered for the final three minutes and change.
Lowry, who had 22 points in a losing cause, left with 3:18 to go after picking up his disqualifying sixth foul on a moving screen.
DeRozan, who had issues covering OKC guard Corey Brewer all afternoon, got a tech when an obvious foul on a layup went uncalled with 30.9 seconds left. Had he made the basket, the game would have been tied.
Instead the ball was rebounded, went the other way and ended in a Russell Westbrook pull-up jumper, giving him 37 points on the game and putting the Thunder up by four. Then the technical was issued.
Following a time out, DeRozan stalked the official with teammates trying to get between the two. DeRozan, who had 24 points up to that point, uttered one of those magic words to earn technical No. 2 and an early exit to his afternoon.
Soon after, Ibaka would join DeRozan on the ejection list. Then it was Casey who had enough.
It was not the finest moment by an officiating crew — Marc Davis, Haywoode Workman and Brent Barnacky for those scoring at home — who had to be escorted off the court by security. Nor was it a great look for the Raptors, who lost composure in a game that was well within their grasp.
But frustration is a tough animal to keep caged and once out of the cage, DeRozan wasn’t willing to close it.
This was about respect. DeRozan will likely be digging into his pocket following his post-game comments. He didn’t mince words about the non-call in the dying seconds.
“He smacked the s--- out of me,’’ DeRozan said. “He smacked me. He tried to smack me because I had a layup, period.
“I got fouled.”
There was no missing the all-star’s assertion that something needs to be done about the level of officiating and his belief the Raptors have long got the short end of the whistle.
“We’re used to going against the odds every step of the way,” DeRozan said. “We fight through it, but as soon as we say something, we’re the bad guys, we get fined, we get criticized.
“Every single night when we play, we fight against all the odds. We still prevail, but we’ve all got a breaking point and it’s frustrating. You saw it tonight.”