Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic questioned the officiating following his team’s Game 2 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Raptors dropped Game 2 by a score of 115-105 to the Cavaliers on Monday night at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers now lead 2-0, with the series shifting back to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for the next two games.
One of the most troubling aspects for the Raptors in Game 2 was the poor performance of swingman Brandon Ingram, who was an NBA All-Star this season. Despite being the Raptors’ regular-season scoring leader with 21.5 points per game in 77 games played, Ingram scored just 7 points on 3-15 shooting in Game 2. He also went just 1-3 from the free-throw line.
The lack of free throws, despite the Cavaliers being highly physical with Ingram all night long, is one of the reasons why Rajakovic is backing his player and questioning the officiating during the game.
“Their whole team is very very physical with Brandon. So for me it’s very interesting that he had 0 free throws in this game. Seeing zero takes, zero makes, it’s interesting”
“Their whole team is very, very physical with Brandon. So for me, it’s very interesting that he had zero free throws in this game. That’s kind of like, very interesting. Seeing zero takes, zero makes, it’s interesting,” Rajakovic said.
The Toronto Raptors Need Brandon Ingram to Step Up in Game 3
Regardless of the officiating, the Raptors need Ingram to step up in Game 3 if the Raptors are going to make this series competitive. He is one of the top players on the team and was their leading scorer during the regular season, but he was practically invisible in Game 2. The referees likely could have done a better job of giving him more free throws when the Cavaliers fouled him, but his poor shooting percentage from jumpers is something that he needs to improve on. Raptors point guard Immanuel Quickley has not played at all yet this series due to injury, and while forwards RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes have performed well, they still need Ingram to step up his game if they are going to make a run against a talented and experienced Cleveland team.
Darko Rajakovic Could Make Lineup Changes in Game 3
One of the ways the Raptors could get back in this series is if Rajakovic makes lineup changes for Game 3. One of those changes could be moving Jakob Poeltl to the bench and starting rookie Colin Murray-Boyles in his place. Poeltl had a tough time in Game 2, playing just 9 minutes and scoring just 2 points and 4 rebounds for the Raptors. Murray-Boyles, meanwhile, came off the bench and played 26 minutes, adding 17 points and 7 rebounds. Fans went to social media during and after the game to vent their frustrations about Poeltl’s poor play, as the veteran center has not played up to expectations during this series.
The Raptors could also really use Quickley returning to the lineup. While second-year point guard Jamal Shead is trying his best, he only scored 3 points on 1-5 shooting from the field. Shead has been a trusty backup point guard for the Raptors since being drafted last year, but the team needs Quickley to come back if they want to match up more favorably with the dangerous Cleveland backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden.
Darko Rajakovic Questions Officiating After Game 2 Loss For Toronto Raptors