LeBron James offered a straightforward explanation for the Lakers’ 23 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter compared to the Raptors’ two.
On Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Toronto Raptors 132-131 in a somewhat contentious game. LeBron James was questioned about the disparity between the Lakers’ 23 and Raptors’ 2 free throw shooting in the fourth quarter following the game.
James stated quite frankly, “I felt like they fouled and we didn’t.”
The Lakers made 36 free throws in this game compared to the Raptors’ 13 because of their significant lead in the fourth quarter. To be fair to Los Angeles, it’s not as horrible as it might seem because the Raptors intentionally fouled during eight of those twenty-three free throw attempts in the fourth.
However, it felt a little harsh that the Raptors only attempted two of them during the quarter and just 13 overall. They had a 70–50 advantage in points in the paint, and you would anticipate a lot more free throws than they did from a team that scores so frequently in the paint.
LeBron James, who finished the game with 22 points, 5 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block, did not have much to say regarding the disparity, but Darko Rajakovic certainly did. Following the Lakers defeat, the head coach of the Raptors became furious with the officials.
Rajakovic was perplexed as to why, given how frequently he approaches the hoop, Scottie Barnes only managed two free throws during the game. He bemoaned the number of free throws the Lakers were awarded, even going so far as to say that his team wouldn’t have bothered to play if they had been expected to win that game regardless.
Rajakovic should undoubtedly anticipate paying a significant charge for making such a statement. For the majority of the season, he had not been very critical of the referees, but he just lost it now. When the disparity was this great, it made sense. The Raptors’ disappointing season continued with this setback, which put them at 15–22 overall.
In terms of free throw differential in 2023–2024, the Lakers are the best.
For a while now, the Lakers and free throws have been major talking points. A few other teams have also voiced complaints about it, following in the footsteps of the Golden State Warriors during the previous season’s playoffs. In terms of free throw difference, the Lakers led the pack in both 2022–2023 and 2023–2024.
This season, they have attempted 24.3 free throws per game, good for seventh place in the NBA. Los Angeles is at +4.6 per game, while their opponents have attempted 19.4 free throws per game, which is tied for the fewest with the Boston Celtics.
Don’t expect things to change suddenly, given how long this has been going on. Though it won’t be as significant as it was against the Raptors, the Lakers will almost certainly benefit from the line.
They have players that are excellent at getting fouls, such as Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves, and they can also defend without the officials penalizing them. It’s a little worrying that the Lakers are only 19-19 on the season in spite of this.
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