NBA teams
Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Wizards stars John Wall, Bradley Beal say refs missed calls in Game 1 loss to Raptors

NBA, Washington Wizards

TORONTO -- Washington Wizards All-Stars John Wall and Bradley Beal felt that officials missed a few calls during Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors, and they are ready to adjust to that for Game 2.

When asked what he learned about how the Raptors defended him in Game 1, Beal said Tuesday that the Raptors were physical and did a lot of holding during their 114-106 victory.

"They hold and grab a lot," Beal said at the Wizards' shootaround before Game 2. "That is something that will be a different story tonight. Just making sure that I am constantly moving, making them tired, especially when they put Kyle [Lowry] on me, just tire him out as much as possible."

Wizards coach Scott Brooks agreed with his shooting guard on Toronto's hands-on defense.

"Yeah, he was," Brooks said when told that Beal said Toronto grabbed and held him. "But you got to move and come off screens with great pace. You can't just stand still, that is what they do. Kyle is a tremendous defender but if you don't move him, you will play into his hands, literally."

Wall had said on Sunday and Monday that some of his 14 missed shots from the field came on drives while he was fouled with no call. Wall finished with 23 points and 15 assists while shooting 6-for-20 from the field. The point guard, playing in just his fifth game since returning from knee surgery at the end of March, went to the line more than anyone else in the game.

Wall, who missed all four regular-season meetings between the teams, was 8-for-10 from the free throw line but said he was told he probably should have had even more foul shots.

"If I get calls or not, just try to finish plays," Wall said of his mentality for Game 2. "That is all I really can do. I think a couple of them [in Game 1] that I did get fouled on, they [refs] came to me at halftime and said they [an official] missed two or three of them. I rather you not tell me about it. Just like the Last Two Minute Report, I rather you not tell me about [fouls that were missed].

"Me as a player, I got to do a better job of not worrying about fouls and contact and just try to finish my plays like I usually do in the past."

Beal, who finished with 19 points but scored only two in the fourth quarter and went to the line just once the entire game, plans on making it more difficult for the Raptors to get physical with him in Game 2.

"They did a good job of switching bodies on me and putting bigger guys on me and switching up and putting Kyle on me," Beal said. "... But I watched film, and I think I got some counters."

Wall, who missed 4 of 5 shots and was limited to five points in the fourth quarter of Game 1, said he was not actually looking for contact when he drove to the rim and felt he was fouled. Wall said it has been challenging to try to figure out how he is going to be officiated.

"I wasn't looking for them at all," Wall said of looking to draw contact and fouls. "I just felt like when I got to the basket at times, I felt like I got fouled. The only time I say I really didn't get fouled was the one time in transition when Kyle jumped [to challenge], and I said that was great defensive play -- that wasn't a foul there. But the one before that in transition, I felt I got fouled.

"There is always something new when it comes to [officiating] me, and then I watch other games and those [other] guys get the same type of calls. Like, I watched the game yesterday, a ref [that] had reffed our game that reffed [another playoff game] yesterday was calling so much ticky-tack [fouls]. There's nothing I can control about that. For me as a basketball player, I don't make excuses, just got to do a better job of finishing plays."

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