The NBA announced Friday that it has fined Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph $25,000 for publicly criticizing game officials following his team's 100-92 loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday. After the contest, Randolph said he felt like the Grizzlies were playing "eight against five," according to an audio clip provided by Clutch Fans.
Zach Randolph fined $25,000 for criticizing officials
The Memphis Grizzlies forward criticized officials after a Thursday night game against the Houston Rockets.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
“It’s obvious, it was the refs tonight,” Randolph said. “Eight against five. The game -- in the second half -- the man (Rockets guard James Harden) was shooting free throws every time. We’re out there playing hard. They’re dictating the game. It can’t be like that, man. We’re out here playing too.”
The numbers give some credence to Randolph's opinion. The Rockets got to the foul stripe 40 times, twice the amount the Grizzlies got to the free throw line, and Houston guard James Harden individually had 25 foul shots. Harden scored 22 of his 27 points at the line, setting an NBA record for most points scored with only two made field goal attempts and also setting a Rockets franchise mark for total foul shots made in a game.
Memphis committed 30 total personal fouls to Houston’s 19 and had seven players with at least three fouls.
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Of course, the shot chart alone indicates the Rockets, when they weren’t shooting threes, were attacking the rim while the Grizzlies were settling for midrange jumpers. And it could have been a different story had Memphis not shot 11-for-20 when it did get to the free throw stripe.
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