DeMar DeRozan Calls Out Refs, Bobby Portis After Bulls Lose To Bucks

During his postgame media session with NBA reporters, DeMar DeRozan called out the refs who worked the Chicago Bulls–Milwaukee Bucks game. 

The Bucks shot 32 free throws, while the Bulls only went to the line 16 times. 

“I think as far as officiating, just call it fair,” DeRozan said, via NBA reporter K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “I think that’s more so where the frustration comes from. When we come down, we feel like we getting hit. They come down and we barely touching them and they’re getting the call. That kind of stings. Just the fairness of the calls was the main focal of our frustration.”

The Bulls lost to the Bucks by a final score of 113-97. DeRozan, one of the top scorers in the NBA, finished with only 12 points and nine assists in 32 minutes while shooting 5-of-13 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. 

“It just kept feeling like we was trying to get a call and get downhill. It felt like a couple drives Coby (White) was getting fouled and didn’t call it. They had somebody come down and do the same type of moves and they get the whistle. That becomes frustrating when it continuously happens throughout the game. We can’t get a call and find a rhythm,” DeRozan said. “It seemed like it was more so in their favor being aggressive playing us defensively and we couldn’t do the same. Not necessarily even us getting calls. Just make it a fair thing. Let us be physical on the other end too.”

DeRozan’s frustration boiled over with 31 seconds left in the third quarter when he committed a flagrant-one foul on Bobby Portis. DeRozan, who also received a technical foul on the play, said felt Portis disrespected him by staring him down.

“He did it one time. That’s all it takes for me. I don’t care who it is. It could be the janitor in the hallway,” DeRozan said. “Look at me a certain type of way. Like, just play basketball. Get the rebound and play. I’ve just never been a player with the extra theatrics.

“As long as I’ve played the game, I’m big on respect. I don’t play the whole games staring down somebody, trying to disrespect anybody. I’m all about competing, doing your thing, all of that. But I feel anything disrespectful any type of way, I don’t accept that. Because I wouldn’t do it to nobody else, stand over somebody or look over somebody. It’s just my respect of the game. When I feel like it’s done to me, that’s when I take it a certain way.”