Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams didn't hold back in his criticism of the officiating during Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers, expressing his belief that they were unfairly treated not only in the contest but throughout the season.
The Suns, playing without Kevin Durant and Deandre Ayton, lost to the Lakers 122-111. Only Devin Booker breached the 20-point mark for Phoenix in the game with 33 points, while Los Angeles had three players scoring 20-plus. Anthony Davis led the way with 27, with D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves combining for 51.
In his postgame presser, however, Williams couldn't help but point out the free throw disparity between his Suns and the Lakers. The Purple and Gold ended with 46 attempts from then charity stripe, while the Arizona franchise finished with just 20. LA made 36 of their freebies, while Phoenix converted 15.
Williams said it's just “not right” for one team to end up with 46 free throw attempts, especially with his team playing as physical as their opponents and attacking the basket. The Suns tactician added that they are not getting the same calls as everyone else in a direct shot at NBA officiating, per Mark Media of NBA.com.
For what it's worth, in their loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, OKC had 36 freebies with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander taking 19 of those. Yikes!
Suns coach Monty Williams doesn’t hold back on the free-throw disparity between the Lakers (46) and Suns (20). pic.twitter.com/LKGfHILI22
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) March 23, 2023
Monty Williams certainly has every reason to be frustrated over the recent officiating on the Suns. Any coach would be surprised to see the other team take 46 free throws.
Of course these comments will likely get Williams fined, but he knows that very well. Still, that won't stop him from airing what he deems is an unfair treatment–with the numbers backing it up.
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