Following Sunday’s 118-103 loss in Game 4 against the New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams made it clear that he wasn’t thrilled with the way the game was officiated. Williams cited the Pelicans’ 42 free throw attempts compared to the Suns having just 17 opportunities at the charity stripe.
The Suns ended up being whistled for 12 more fouls in what ended up being a very physical affair throughout the night as the eighth-seeded Pelicans tied the series, 2-2.
“You can slice it any way you want to,” Williams told reporters. “In a playoff game that physical, (the disparity) is amazing. Coaches shouldn’t have to come up to the microphone and feel like they’re going to get their heads cut off for speaking the truth.”
The Pelicans’ duo of Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas ended up combining to shoot 21 of those 42 attempts from the free-throw line. Ingram finished with a game-high 30 points on 11-of-23 shooting while also becoming the first Pelicans player to score 30 or more points in three consecutive postseason games. Meanwhile, Valanciunas added 26 points while dominating the glass with 15 rebounds.
Williams also pointed out that the Suns have never been afraid to put the ball on the floor.
“It’s not like we don’t attack the basket,” Williams said. “They outplayed us; they deserve to win. That’s a free throw disparity that you have to look at… it’s hard (to) swallow.”
Suns star guard Chris Paul didn’t get to the free throw line at all during Game 4 after getting there 14 times in the first three games of the series. Paul finished with just four points on 2-of-8 shooting while dishing out 11 assists in Game 4.
“It’s like the old NBA, isn’t it?” Paul said after the game. “I asked one of the refs one time, ‘Are we playing in the old NBA or the new NBA?’ I was fortunate enough to play in both of them; we just have to figure out which one it’s going to be.”
The Suns are still without Paul’s backcourt mate, Devin Booker, who missed his second consecutive game due to a hamstring injury. While Booker is making positive progress, he’s expected to miss at least the rest of the series vs. New Orleans.
