It’s been a tough stretch for the Lakers, who are currently on a brutal seven-game losing streak, so it was natural that the frustration would eventually reach a tipping point. Tensions finally boiled over on Monday night against the Kings after a tussle between Julius Randle and DeMarcus Cousins resulted in a no-call, which spurred Luke Walton to completely lose his cool at the officials.
The rookie coach unleashed an expletive-laced tirade at the referees in the aftermath of that play, which immediately earned him an ejection. Now, the league has reportedly levied a hefty fine against Walton to boot. Here’s more of what he to say regarding the incident, via Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times:
“I just felt like I needed to stand up for my guys,” Walton said after the game. “What happened on the floor wasn’t right. My only concern is our guys in the locker room and our team. If I feel like something’s not right, I’m going to stand up for our guys.”
Walton was obviously hoping his outburst would light a fire under the Lakers and give them a much-needed jolt of energy. That didn’t happen on Monday night as they eventually lost to the Kings 116-92, so we’ll wait and see if it had the desired effect when Los Angeles matches up against the lowly Nets tonight in Brooklyn.
