The Los Angeles Lakers expressed frustration after a 123-113 loss to the Phoenix Suns, citing concerns about inconsistent officiating. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham highlighted the challenges, mentioning the team’s focus on winning the free-throw battle each game. He pointed out instances where Lakers players faced contact without receiving foul calls, emphasizing the need to adapt to the officiating inconsistency.

Despite ranking sixth in the league in free-throw attempts per game (24.3) and relying on an inside-out offensive approach, the Lakers feel their efforts to drive to the basket are not consistently rewarded. The Lakers emphasize points in the paint (55.4 per game) and post-ups (4th in the league with 7.1 per game) but rank last in 3-point attempts per game (30.8).

LeBron James highlighted the team’s attacking style and the perception that the Lakers overly rely on free throws.

James acknowledged the narrative surrounding the Lakers’ ability to draw fouls but defended the team’s attacking nature. He expressed disappointment in receiving only eight free throw attempts in the game, emphasizing instances where he believed he was fouled but didn’t get calls.

The eight free throws marked a season-low for the Lakers and tied for the fewest since James joined the team in the 2018-19 season.

The Lakers’ frustration extends to the perception of the team’s playing style and the impact of inconsistent officiating on their ability to score from the free-throw line. Despite their concerns, they aim to adapt and find ways to mitigate the impact of officiating on their performance.