DeMar DeRozan fined $15K for criticizing refs after loss to Warriors
Raptors guard said game was like 'playing five on eight'
Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan was fined $15,000 US by the NBA for publicly criticizing the officiating following a close loss to the Golden State Warriors last weekend, the league announced on Tuesday.
One call DeRozan questioned was his being whistled for turning the ball over on a wild scramble with three seconds remaining in the 127-125 loss on Saturday in Toronto.
"It's frustrating," he said following the game. "Being out there feels like you're playing five on eight."
"It's just what it feels like, period. Some of those calls were terrible."
Raptors coach Dwane Casey was also critical of the officiating late in the game, especially when centre Jakob Poeltl was called for fouling Golden State's Stephen Curry with 45 seconds remaining. Curry missed both free throws with the Warriors leading by one, but Casey felt Poeltl cleanly blocked Curry's shot on the play.
"There were some tough calls in the second half," Casey said on Saturday. "That [Poeltl call] was a back-breaker.
"We had the ball going the other way in that situation so I've got to look at that. But again, I thought our team really really competed at a high level in the second half once they believed, 'Hey. we can beat this team.' "
With files from The Canadian Press