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The Golden State Warriors cried foul following their 145-144 double overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on January 27, citing the large free throw disparity.
But the NBA Last Two Minute report said the Warriors got away with a crucial non-call on Stephen Curry‘s go-ahead 3.
Curry got wide open after Draymond Green set up a screen on the Lakers’s most versatile defender Jarred Vanderbilt. The referees, according to the Last 2 Minute report, failed to hit Green with an offensive foul before Curry’s shot with 6 seconds left.
“Green (GSW) steps toward Vanderbilt (LAL) and he delivers the contact that dislodges Vanderbilt during the screen,” the Last 2 Minute report said of the play.
Fortunately for Vanderbilt and the Lakers, LeBron James calmly sank two clutch free throws on the other end to snatch the win from the Warriors.
Steph Curry, Steve Kerr Complain About Lakers’ 43 Free Throws
A disappointed Curry ripped the officiating after the loss where they only took 16 free throws against the Lakers’ 43 attempts.
“They draw a lot of fouls. Last year they had some crazy free-throw disparity and advantage,” Curry told reporters. “[Saturday night] is just one of those where this is not consistent and that’s the most frustrating part. Because you want to be in a place where the players decide the game and it’s either the players decide the game or it’s consistent on both ends of what you’re calling.
“And so, not to say, obviously, we shoot a lot of threes. I know that there’s a different style, but there are probably like three plays I was involved in where it’s just a clear bad call in the sense of giving guys unnecessary free throw attempts and then on the other end, contact or plays that they just looked the other way for whatever reason.
“So in a single game when you have inconsistency on both sides, that’s the most frustrating thing of all. Doesn’t mean that we’re gonna go to the line 58 times. It just means that there’s a tone of the game and there’s a flow that we can adapt to and adjust to. And it wasn’t like that tonight. So it’s tough.”
Contrasting Styles Led to Stark Difference in Free Throws
The Lakers, who are last in 3-point attempts in the league, pounced inside the paint and took a 27-point margin in free throws made in a tight game that saw Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins fouled out.
“I might comment on the free throws, but my mom is here,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters via NBC Sports. “So I want to be on my best behavior. So, I’m not going to comment on their 43 free throws to our 16. I’m not going to comment on Steph shooting three free throws in 43 minutes.”
The problem was the Warriors did not have a dominant inside force like the Lakers have in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who combined to shoot 13 of 15 free throws.
The Lakers are the stingiest in giving up fouls, averaging just 16.8 fouls per game. On the other hand, the Warriors are in the bottom five, averaging 20.8 fouls and giving up 22.7 free throw attempts to opponents.
The Warriors made it close by sinking 23 of 58 3s. The Lakers only hit 9 of 27 from deep.
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