Even by the standards of NBA coaching meltdown, Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković was more than angry on Thursday.
Down 125-103 against the Memphis Grizzlies, Rajaković responded to a no-call by the officials by irately berating them until he had to be led away by his own players. He was quickly assessed a pair of technical fouls and automatically ejected.
The FedExForum crowd in Memphis enjoyed the display, as did the Grizzlies, reportedly. Rajaković was an assistant coach for the Grizzlies from 2020 to 2023.
The two extra free throws, both made by Luke Kennard, did the Raptors no favors in what ended up being a 155-126 loss. Toronto’s record now stands at 7-24, a game and a half ahead of the Washington Wizards for the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
“We hold each other to a higher standard and obviously we weren’t playing to that,” Raptors assistant coach Pat Delany said after the game, via Sportsnet’s Savanna Hamilton. “I can’t speak for [Rajaković] in terms of those moments or what was going through his mind, but obviously you’re trying to protect our players.”
It was the first career ejection for Rajaković, who is in his second season as Raptors head coach. He did however incur a $25,000 fine last season in January after tearing into the officials following a frustrating loss.