(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
There were a lot of headlines about the Los Angeles Lakers and their free-throw attempts on Sunday night.
The Lakers had just eight shots at the free-throw line, compared to 19 for the Phoenix Suns.
Considering Phoenix won by 10 points, some fans were upset by the disparity between the teams.
Following the game, D’Angelo Russell spoke with Daniel Starkand and the press and refused to really get into the specifics of the referees’ choices.
He also said that he’s not much of a free-throw shooter so their calls didn’t bother him.
“I don’t shoot free throws. So I don’t know how the refs control that, I don’t even keep up with it. I tell the refs, ‘I don’t need y’all because I don’t shoot free throws,’” Russell said.
DLo wasn’t really willing to get into the officiating today but he did have a pretty funny quote where he said:
“I don’t shoot free throws. So I don’t know how the refs control that, I don’t even keep up with it. I tell the refs ‘I don’t need y’all because I don’t shoot free… pic.twitter.com/ViOWP5hvFx
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) February 26, 2024
For the season, Russell is averaging just 2.5 free throws a game.
On Sunday, he had 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 7 assists while missing his single free throw.
For much of the season, certain critics have claimed that the Lakers only shoot free throws and are somehow favored by the referees.
But that certainly wasn’t the case during their game against the Suns.
There are some games when the Lakers earn a lot of time at the free-throw line and then there are some games when they don’t get much at all.
This reiterates the point that they need to find other ways to win.
A team should not solely rely on free throws to lead them to victory.
Instead of thinking about fouls, Russell was focused on other aspects of the game, hoping to help his team secure a much-needed win.
In the end, they weren’t able to pull it off and now they are entering perhaps their toughest stretch of the season.
That means that the Lakers might have problems much bigger than a lack of free-throw attempts.
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