Serbian coach Darko Rajakovic and his Toronto Raptors were affected in one of the early games in the NBA league.
Rajaković led the Canadian team in a loss to the Chicago Bulls in one of the most incredible finishes ever. However, the outcome was not supposed to be like that, according to the rules of the world’s top league.
Towards the end of that game, two crucial refereeing mistakes occurred.
The first incident occurred with 6.3 seconds left before the final buzzer, with Rajakovic’s team leading 93-90. At that time, the referees failed to notice a traveling violation by DeMar DeRozan, who made two out of three free throws after being fouled.
Then, another twist followed. During the Toronto Raptors’ possession, a charging foul was called on Pascal Siakam. Subsequently, DeRozan was only able to convert one of his free throws, sending the game into overtime, which the Chicago Bulls went on to win.
The NBA league stated that there was no foul in that situation, and Siakam had not done anything wrong. However, this decision had no effect on the outcome of the Toronto Raptors’ loss.
In the very next game, Rajaković’s team had the opportunity to get back on the winning track, but they fell short against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Toronto Raptors now hold a 1-2 record for the season.
It’s worth noting that Darko Rajakovic became the second European head coach of an NBA team this season.