Steph Curry explains free throw discrepancy between Warriors and Lakers

The Lakers won Game 1 over the Warriors thanks, in large part, to an enormous free-throw discrepancy. How did Steph Curry address it?

There were more than a few eye-popping stats from the Lakers’ 117-112 win over the Warriors in Game 1 of their second-round series. Anthony Davis and Kevin Looney each had 23 rebounds. The Lakers went 6-of-25 from beyond the arc and still won. The Warriors went 21-of-53 from beyond the arc and lost. And, of course, the Lakers ended up with 23 more free-throw attempts than the Warriors.

Twitter got plenty of jokes off about the free-throw discrepancy and the implied referee bias for the Lakers but favorable calls weren’t the only reasonable explanation. After the game, Steph Curry took some responsibility for the difference, saying: “Schroder gets 10 free throws. That can’t happen. Whether we think it’s a foul or not we can’t put ourselves in that situation.”

Steph Curry was right to take responsibility for the Lakers free throw edge over his Warriors

Part of the reason the Lakers took so many more free throws in this game is that they were much more aggressive in attacking the basket. Again, the Warriors attempted 53 shots from beyond the arc — tied for the fifth-most in playoff history. They had just 28 drives — well below their regular-season average of 36.7, which ranked 29th in the league — and attempted 31 pull-up jumpers. They also had just 11 combined elbow and post-up touches, compared to 25 for the Lakers.

And while this was an extreme example, it was part of a second-long trend. Warriors’ opponents attempted 412 more free throws than they did this season, an average of about five per game. The Warriors’ style of play puts them at a disadvantage, but it’s one they overcome with their other offensive advantages.

Again, Warriors fans might be able to quibble with a few specific calls here and there. But, as Steph Curry said, it’s on him and his teammates to cut back on their own fouls and draw more calls at the other end.

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