The Washington Wizards put up a serious fight on Friday night as the team faced off against the Atlanta Hawks but fell, 117-114. Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope did all they could, combining for 50 points to lead the team. However, both veterans were vocal on what ultimately decided the game – free throws.

Washington had just eight makes on nine attempts from the charity stripe. In contrast, Trae Young alone outshot the entire Wizards team from the line, going 10-for-11 by himself. The entire Hawks team went 28-for-34, nearly quadrupling the number of attempts that D.C. mustered on the evening.

Kyle Kuzma was adamant that the whistles blown were ultimately what decided the outcome of the contest.

Via NBC Sports Washington's Chase Hughes:

“Thirty-four free throws, that's the game. You're giving them a chance at a free 34 points,” Kyle Kuzma said after the Wizards loss.

“It don't even make sense. That's the story every single night. I'm not trying to make excuses, but people around the league, the referees, they don't respect us. Point blank,” the Wizards star continued. “Then, you see the referees that we get, that's how it goes. For us, we have to do a better job of talking to them and then just trying to play harder through contact, I guess. I don't know what we've gotta do to get to the line. It's crazy.”

Kuzma seems to be in the process of blossoming into a star for the Wizards. But he's far from there yet when it comes to garnering the respect from the officials. With Washington's premiere free-throw drawer and incumbent star in Bradley Beal out with wrist surgery, there's no marquee name on D.C.'s active roster that could match up in drawing fouls with a guy like Trae Young.

“I don't know. I couldn't tell you. The refs don't see them? I mean, I feel like they see all the fouls that happen, they just aren't calling them enough,” said Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

The frustration with the calls was palpable throughout the contest as both Kuzma and KCP were seen up in arms more than once.

The looming debut of Kristaps Porzingis could swing the calls in Washington's favor.

The former All-Star is far from a superstar free-throw magnet, but he's eclipsed the five FTs per game mark in three of his six active seasons while averaging 4.2 for his career, more than Kuzma or Caldwell-Pope have ever averaged for their career. Kuzma currently leads the Wizards in free-throw attempts per game at just 3.3 per contest.

Having a 7'3″ frontcourt weapon who's been a virtual 20-point scorer for his entire career definitely doesn't hurt their chances at improving in that category.

But the issues work the other way around as well, given that the Wizards are one of the worst teams at preventing their opponents from getting to the free-throw line. They rank in the bottom five in both opponent's FT attempts and makes for the season. While it's tough to tell if they'll eventually get a favorable whistle, focusing on the defensive end and controlling what they can control might be the more important aspect.