Knicks frustrated with lack of foul calls against Thunder: ‘A lot of contact’

ORLANDO, Fla. — Julius Randle attempted more free throws than he had in any other game this season Wednesday night, yet he showed his frustration with the officiating several times throughout the Knicks’ road loss to the Thunder.

That came in the form of not getting back on defense at least once or pleading his case with the referees about the contact they didn’t call on multiple occasions.

“I mean, I shot [a season-high] 13 free throws,” Randle, who sank 10 of those attempts, said after the game. “It’s tough to get every call. Did I think a few were missed? Yes. As far as consistency, I had a respectful conversation with [referee] James [Capers].

“It was just a little frustration with the consistency with the calls. But like I said, I got 13 free throws, so it’s hard to really complain. They’re not going to get every one right. They’re not perfect. You know, those are little things that happen in the game and you’ve just got to move on and keep playing. They’ll get more right than they get wrong.”

Randle said he was told by Capers that he didn’t get a foul call on one first-half drive because he’d extended his arm, but “later on in the first half Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] did the same thing, extended and stepped through. He got the bump and one, they called the foul.”

Through Wednesday, the Knicks ranked sixth in the NBA with 24.6 free-throw attempts per game.