Luke Walton Upset With Officiating After Lakers' Overtime Loss To Spurs
The Los Angeles Lakers are 0–3 to start this season, and head coach Luke Walton is fed up with the officiating.
After the Lakers lost Monday night 143-142 loss in overtime to the San Antonio Spurs, Walton let loose on how he thinks calls have gone against his team early in the season.
"Let me start here. … I wasn't going to say anything. I was going to save my money, but I just can't anymore," Walton said. "It's [74] points in the paint [by the Lakers] to 50, [and yet] again they outshoot us from the free-throw line -- 38 free throws [to 26 by the Lakers]. Watch the play where I got a technical foul. Watch what happened to LeBron James' arm. It's the same thing that James Harden and Chris Paul [drew fouls on and] shot 30 free throws on us the night before. … We are scoring 70 points a night. In the paint."
The Spurs went to the free throw line 38 times, compared to Los Angeles going to the charity stripe 26 times.
Walton wasn't finished with his critique of the officials.
"Watch how Josh Hart plays this game. He played 40 minutes tonight, " he said. "All he does is attack the rim. Zero free throws tonight. Zero. So to me, it doesn't matter. I know they're young, I get that. But if we are going to play a certain way, let's not reward people for flopping 30 feet from the hole on plays that have nothing to do with that possession. They're just flopping just to see if they get a foul call. And then not reward players that are physically going to the basket and getting hit. It's not right."
Los Angeles will attempt to win its first game of the season on Wednesday night when they travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns.
