This Sunday evening, the Suns beat the Lakers by 10 points and the purple and gold were convinced that this was due to the free throw disparity called by the officials. While Phoenix had 19 opportunities from the foul line, their rivals only had 8, which was a season low for the Los Angeles club.
After their 123-113 loss, LeBron James laughed every time he was asked about the disparity and denied giving a straight answer. This was The King’s fewest free throw attempts in any game for the club ever since he arrived in 2018.
His coach, on the other hand, was ready to speak his mind. “I’m not one to use referees as an excuse,” Darvin Ham said postgame. “But it’s becoming increasingly tough because of the inconsistency. I’m seeing our guys get the same contact on them as we’re supposedly committing. And the whistle is not being blown.”
Lakers vent at refs’ ‘inconsistency’ after Suns loss https://t.co/x5mR9PhyYq pic.twitter.com/f7KaLVREkM
— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) February 26, 2024
However, if you check the stats, you can’t really say the team has suffered inconsistency this season. The Lakers entered the match averaging 24.7 free throws per contest, the sixth most in the NBA.
“That’s something we focus on, trying to win the free throw line every game,” Ham insisted. “And so that’s tough. I’m telling my guys to drive downhill; we’re trying to love and live in the paint. And you’re not getting calls. I see guys with their hands in our guys’ ribs or swinging, swiping at their heads, trying to block the shot but not getting the ball, but getting a piece of the body. And it’s not being called, as simple as that.
“So, we have to figure out ways to not let that be a problem, but it’s tough. Again, it’s frustrating when there’s so much inconsistency.”
Part of the reasons why the purple and gold team felt abandoned by the referees, was due to the fact that they received no free throw calls during the entire second half. this marked the first time one of LeBron’s squads doesn’t receive a single foul shot in any half in almost a decade.
James took the opportunity to remind detractors that the Lakers aren’t benefited by the NBA officials
The Los Angeles club has always been criticized for being helped by the referees, and after Sunday’s defeat against Phoenix, James was fed up with that narrative.
“A lot of people, a lot of coaches, a lot of teams are like, ‘That’s all the Lakers do is get to the free throw line,’” the veteran expressed. “It’s like this narrative out there that that’s all we do is get to the free throw line. I mean, we have attackers. That’s what we do. We have attackers. Yeah, we shoot the ball from the perimeter, but we’re not shooting 40 to 50 3s a game. We’re not that team. We don’t have the luxury of being that team. So, working it into the paint, that’s what we’re really good at.
“To have eight free throw attempts is definitely not us. I know, definitely, I got hit a couple times when I got to the paint tonight that wasn’t called. But it is what it is.”
The 39-year-old is used to getting around 5.4 free throws per game, but last night he only hit 1 out of 4 attempts. Co-Star Anthony Davis had zero attempts for the first time all season, despite averaging 6.9 free throws per game.
“We live on getting to the line. We attack the basket,” the Lakers big man said. “Especially how much we struggle from the 3, we’re kind of up and down, so we try to live in the paint and get to the line. I’m not sure if it was just the refs missing it or they weren’t fouling. I felt I got fouled a couple of times. But that’s part of our identity, our DNA, is getting to the line and guys catching rhythms like that and then playing from there.”
