John Wall has accused the Memphis Grizzlies of not respecting the Washington Wizards after they rested a number of their starters for the trip to the Verizon Center.
Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley, who has an ankle injury, all missed the game, while reserve Tony Allen was also rested for the 107-87 defeat.
Wall, who was the Wizards' top scorer, told ESPN: "They sit them, and I don't know the reason why.
"I think we're a team that's on the rise, and teams respect us now. And I guess they don't respect us. We didn't want to come out here and lose to their reserves."
The Grizzlies remain second in the Western Conference despite the defeat, while Washington are fifth in the Eastern.