DeRozan slams ‘terrible’ refs after Kings’ streak-snapping loss

[ad_1]

DeRozan slams ‘terrible’ refs after Kings’ streak-snapping loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The shorthanded Kings were rolling through three quarters against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night at Ball Arena, with Sacramento leading Nikola Jokić and Co. by as many as 14 points in the third.

Then, the fourth quarter happened — and the Kings’ four-game win streak went with it in a 116-110 loss.

Denver outscored Sacramento 32-17 across the game’s final 12 minutes — thanks in part to a 13-4 free-throw discrepancy in favor of the Nuggets. Kings forward DeMar DeRozan, who scored a game-high 35 points in the loss, didn’t hold back on the officiating after the game.

“The refs were terrible,” DeRozan told reporters (h/t The Sacramento Bee’s Chris Biderman). “Terrible as s–t. Simple as that. …

“Bunch of times we got hit, we got smacked. Three or four shots out there, clearly got hit, got smacked. They get the same call on the other end. Throws off our whole rhythm. Gives them momentum at home. Makes it tough on us to execute.”

Kings interim coach Doug Christie admitted that Sacramento’s offense appeared “discombobulated” at times in the fourth quarter, the conclusion of a game that as a whole featured 30 free-throw attempts for the Nuggets and 14 for the Kings.

“I thought the [Kings] attacked the rim. They played a solid game,” Christie told reporters. “… You don’t want to lose. You don’t, especially as competitive as — this one’s going to hurt. This one’s going to hurt, but this is our league, and you’ve got to deal with it. But proud of our guys as far as game plan, discipline, aggressiveness, physicality.”

And to deal with it — the loss, or perhaps the officiating — Christie bore that burden for his players as the fourth quarter crumbled around them.

“… My job is to deal with the refs, and their job is to hoop,” Christie said. “And that’s what I expect our of them, and they know this. So when they start talking to the refs and barking at the refs, like, yo, chill that out. We don’t do that. We’re here to hoop. Let me deal with [the…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/derozan-slams-terrible-refs-kings-220647484.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2025-03-05 22:06:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.