Darvin Ham criticizes refereeing against the Phoenix Suns / News - Basketnews.com

Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham criticized NBA refereeing in his team's loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports Credit Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Darvin Ham, the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, voiced dissatisfaction with the officiating in their 123-113 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Los Angeles Lakers / Schedule

Golden State Warriors Los Angeles Lakers128-110 Los Angeles Lakers San Antonio Spurs123-118 Phoenix Suns Los Angeles Lakers123-113 Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles LakersThu03:00 Los Angeles Lakers Washington WizardsFri03:30 Los Angeles Lakers Denver NuggetsSun01:30

The Lakers shot just 8 free throws in the game, a season-low for them, in comparison to the Suns' 19. To add insult to injury, the Lakers missed four of their free throws, while the Phoenix team made 18 of theirs.

In post-game remarks, Ham was asked if he was "frustrated" by the refereeing in the game.

"Yeah, I mean, I think the whistle for us is quick. [For the other team,] we are playing defense, or we play good defense, and someone falls down, misse[s] a shot as we are getting a rebound, and the whistle goes off," Ham explained what he perceived to be double standards in foul calls.

"I am not one to use referees as an excuse, but it's becoming increasingly tough because of the inconsistency," Ham continued. "I am seeing our guys get the same contact on them as we are supposedly committing, and the whistle's not being blown... It's something we focus on, trying to [go to] the free throw line every game," he revealed.

The American head coach states that their strategy is to be physical and establish dominance in the paint but that they cannot do that because of inconsistent foul calls.

"We try living in the paint, but [we] are not getting any calls. I see guys with their hands on our guys' ribs or swinging, swiping at the heads, and it's not being called. It's as simple as that. We have to figure out ways to not let that be a problem, but it's tough. It's frustrating when there's so much inconsistency," he concluded.

After the loss to the Suns, the Lakers regressed to a 31-28 record in the Western Conference.

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