By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
At halftime in Game 3 between the Lakers and the Blazers, Portland had a four-point lead while having just eight free throws attempts compared to the Lakers who had 31.
“As far as the free-throw differential, particularly at halftime, I don’t know if I’ve ever been in a game where it was that big,” Portland coach Terry Stotts said after the eventual loss to the Lakers. “And certainly it had an impact on the first half when I think the differential was 23. That had an impact on the game.”
The Lakers shot 24 more free throws than the Trail Blazers, marking their widest disparity in attempts at the line in a postseason game since a 2008 playoff game in which they shot 27 more free throws than the Utah Jazz, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Ultimately, the Lakers shot 28-of-43 from the free-throw line, and Portland shot 18-of-19. The Lakers won despite missing 15 free throws, the most misses by any team in a playoff win since 2015, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
“The discrepancy in free throws is something that’s out of our control,” said Trail Blazers star point guard Damian Lillard. “Last game, we came out, [and] they played a really physical game. They played a really aggressive game. That led to a blowout victory for them. Tonight, we came in saying we weren’t going to get bullied and let them out-physical and out-aggressiveness us, and maybe sometimes we did foul, but they’re a physical team as well. When a team is living at the free-throw line like they did tonight as a team, it’s going to be hard to win a game against a team that’s as good as they are.”