Perth Wildcats question referee consistency in NBL loss to Adelaide 36ers

Perth Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson questions a referee decision during the NBL Match between the Perth Wildcats and the Skycity Breakers. Photo/Photosport

Perth Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson has accused NBL referees of applying double standards in their officiating of Perth's Casey Prather and Adelaide rival Jerome Randle, after Thursday's 78-74 loss to the 36ers.

Prather shot just four free-throws for the evening, while Randle shot 11 and made eight of his 17 points at the charity stripe.

And he wasn't even Adelaide's most prolific free-throw shooter - fellow guard Nathan Sobey made 11 of 12 from the stripe, nearly scoring half of his 24 points there.

The defending Australian NBL champions were whistled for 30 fouls to the Sixers' 19 and subsequently attempted 20 less free throws.

Gleeson was particularly angered with a charge called against Prather early in the fourth quarter and a non-call, when the athletic swingman crashed to the floor inside the final minute, but Gleeson said asking the league for an explanation was a waste of breath.

"It seems they referee Randle differently than Casey," Gleeson said. "We've asked why [but] nothing gets done. It's a waste of time [asking again].

"Maybe Casey's stronger and takes the hit to keep going. We had that call go against us, Casey's charge foul, which looked to me to be two points.

"It's hard when two [36ers] players get 23 foul shots, and we're just as aggressive and nothing gets done, then Casey gets pole-axed at the end.

"It's frustrating for Casey. He's pretty banged up.

"The game was (won) on the foul line ... a 30-19 foul count, 36-16 fouls shots - it's pretty hard to defend foul shots."

Gleeson did acknowledge the ladder-leading Sixers (11-6), now riding an eight-game winning streak, as the league's benchmark in an otherwise congested table.

"They've got a good buffer," he said. "Normally 14-15 [wins] gets you into the playoffs.

"They're playing at a good level and they're getting to the foul line a lot, which is hard to defend."