The gap between Lakers’ free throws is nothingnew; it’s a component of their game plan

In their triumph, the Lakers made 23 more free

throws (36–13) than the Raptors, with the home

team holding a 23-2 advantage in the fourth

quarter.

This infuriated Raptors coach Darko Rajaković,

who launched an intense, table-pounding tirade

against the postgame officiating.  The first-year

coach of Toronto responded, “I understand,

respect for All-Stars and that, but we have star

players on our team as well.” How in the world is

it possible that Scottie Barnes, an All-Star player

in this league, attempts to reach the rim each and

every time with force, failing miserably and

failing to draw a foul call? For the entire game,

he is awarded two free throws.  “How is that

even possible? In what way will you explain that

to me? Tonight, they had to prevail, right? Please

let us know if that is the case so we won’t attend

the game.

Simply award them the victory.  The league fined

Rajaković $25,000 for criticizing the officiating in

public.

LeBron James, a top player for the Lakers, stated

after the game, “I feel like they fouled and we

didn’t,” after learning that Rajaković wasn’t

satisfied with the difference in free throws.

It’s nothing new, even if Tuesday was on the

extreme end of the spectrum—partially because the

Raptors purposefully fouled late in the game.

One of the Lakers’ secrets to success is winning

the battle of the free throws.

The Lakers, along with the Miami Heat,

Minnesota Timberwolves, and New York Knicks,

are among the four teams who stand in the

top-10 in both free throw attempts per game

(24.3) and fewest free throws allowed (19.4) as of

Thursday.

Last season, the Lakers had an even bigger

advantage in terms of free throws: they had the

most attempts (26.6) and the fewest allowed

(20.8) in the league.  The Lakers place a strong

emphasis on both making a lot of free throws

and avoiding fouling a lot.   Before the Lakers’

game against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday

morning, player Austin Reaves remarked, “I

mean, we got LeBron [James] and [Anthony

Davis].”

“And no matter what your opinion of their play

or actions, they are rough, aggressive, and they

come down here as you mentioned.

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