The Los Angeles Lakers lost an important game on Sunday afternoon to the Phoenix Suns, 123-113. It started a stretch of nine games in which they will face six Western Conference teams that have a better record than them, and this stretch will play a large role in their chances of making the playoffs.
Arguably the biggest factor in Sunday’s loss was their lack of rebounding, something that has been a problem at times this season. Los Angeles was outrebounded by 17, which was a big reason why Phoenix put up 22 second-chance points.
But another problem the Purple and Gold had was a lack of free throws. Normally, they attempt more free throws than their opponents, but on Sunday, they took just eight foul shots, compared to 19 for the Suns. They did not get to the charity stripe at all in the second half.
There were times during the contest when members of the team, particularly LeBron James, were visibly upset over what they saw as a lack of calls in their favor. Afterward, James addressed the issue with the media (at 1:40).
LeBron on the Lakers attempting a season-low eight free throws: "We have attackers that's what we do… we're not shooting 40-50 threes a game… we're getting to the paint that's what we're really good at so to have eight free throw attempts is definitely not us." pic.twitter.com/DZgZKSCFQ2
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 26, 2024
“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,'” James said. “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 40-50 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.”
On the season, the Lakers rank sixth in free throw attempts per game, and they’re also second in free throw attempts allowed per game.