Getty Suns coach Monty Williams
Monty Williams went off on a fiery postgame rant after the Phoenix Suns lost to the Los Angeles Lakers on March 22.
Williams destroyed the refs who worked the Suns-Lakers game.
“I can sit here and rant and rave about what I feel like is not a fair whistle,” Williams said. “It’s just not. 46 free-throws. We’re attacking the rim. I’m getting explanations about we’re taking too many jump shots, midrange jump shots. We’re playing a physical game. They had 27 free-throws in the first half. They end up with 46. When do you see a game with 46 free-throws for one team? Like, that’s just not right. I don’t care how you slice it. It’s happening to us too much. Other teams are reaching, other teams are hitting and we’re not getting the same call and I’m tired of it. It’s old. 46 to 20 free-throws with Devin Booker on our team. He gets 12. I mean, our bench had no free-throws. It’s just, I’m over it. Been talking about the same thing for a while. Doesn’t matter what team it is.
“I’m tired of talking about free-throws. Our guys have to do their job, we understand that, but that’s a huge disparity. 46 free-throws, and I’ll say it again, 46 to 20. That’s it. That’s all I gotta say.”
Williams walked out of his press conference after saying “that’s all I gotta say.” The Lakers shot 46 free-throws to the Suns’ 20, outscoring Phoenix by 21 points at the charity stripe. Los Angeles won by a final score of 122-111.
Devin Booker: ‘I Understand the Agendas That Are Being Pushed’
Suns superstar Devin Booker, who finished with 33 points, didn’t mince words during his postgame press conference. The All-Star guard said he understands the “agendas that are being pushed.”
“After the game is controlled in the first half and we’re down 20 to 30 free-throws, it’s kind of easier for them to give us some after that,” Booker said. “Like Chris (Paul) said, I watch these games every night, so I kind of understand what’s going on. I understand the agendas that are being pushed and trying to just get that out of my head and go out there and compete.”
The Lakers shot 36-of-46 from the free-throw line, while the Suns went 15-of-20.
The Suns Need Kevin Durant Back
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium said on March 20 that Kevin Durant could be back before the end of March or early April. The one-time MVP and two-time Finals MVP is “doing more and more on the court.”
“Kevin Durant is doing more & more on the court… [The Suns] are hopeful that he’s gonna be back in the lineup before the end of March, potentially early April”
@ShamsCharania with the latest on Kevin Durant’s injury
Durant has appeared in three games with the Suns since being traded by the Brooklyn Nets. The two-time champion, who has a left ankle injury, is averaging 26.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 69.0% from the field, 53.8% from 3-point range and 88.2% from the free-throw line with Phoenix. The Suns are 3-0 with Durant in the lineup.
Phoenix dropped to 38-34 after losing to Los Angeles. The Suns are in fourth place in the Western Conference standings, but they are just 5-5 over their last 10 games. Booker and Co. are back in action on March 24 against the Sacramento Kings, who are in third place in the West.