John Wall: Refs Not Why Wizards Lost Game 2 to Raptors, Blames 1st-Quarter Play

After being critical of the officiating in Game 1 of the first-round NBA playoff series, Washington Wizards point guard John Wall didn't heap any blame on the referees following Washington's 130-119 defeat to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night at Air Canada Centre.

Wall said he thought he got a few more calls in Game 2 than he did in Game 1 and that the Wizards didn't help themselves by climbing in a 17-point hole, 44-27, after the first quarter. Sports Illustrated shared Wall's postgame comments:

Following Washington's 114-106 loss to the Raptors in Game 1, Wizards guard Bradley Beal said Toronto's players "hold and grab a lot" on defense, per ESPN.com's Ohm Youngmisuk.

Wall also said some officials had come to him at halftime of Game 1 to let him know they missed some foul calls earlier in the game. He added he thought he was fouled often when he drove to the basket but that he was unable to get to the foul line.

As Wall alluded to, though, it's ultimately up to the Wizards whether they advance to the second round.

In addition to avoiding another big deficit after the first quarter, Washington will want more from Beal when it returns to the court. Beal shot 3-of-11 and scored just nine points Tuesday night. When the Wizards get so little from their second-best player, they have little chance of beating the top seed in the Eastern Conference.