Golden State Warriors fans were calling conspiracy over how the team received little free throw attempts in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The much anticipated second round series in the Western Conference between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers began on Tuesday night. It was the first time that LeBron James faced off against the Warriors in the playoffs since the 2018 NBA Finals. Given the stakes, it’s easy to see why fans of both teams would be on edge and stressed out.
At halftime, the Lakers held a narrow 65-64 lead over the Warriors. Even though they were down one point, Golden State fans took issue with the officiating. Specifically, the amount of fouls the Warriors were called for, and how many free throws the Lakers attempted. Los Angeles had 17 free throw attempts in the first half, while Golden State had just three.
Warriors fans took to Twitter to express their outrage over the discrepancy in free throws. But, there were others who called out those fans and pointed out the fact that Golden State attempted 30 three-point shots.
Warriors fans complain about officiating in Game 1 vs. Lakers
As mentioned earlier, the Warriors attempted 30 shots from behind the 3-point line. For reference, they attempted 57 shots from the field altogether. For those curious, Golden State had only made 13 of those 30 shots from the three-point line.
Andrew Wiggins had two of the three free throw attempts for his team in the first half, making both of them. The other free throw attempt came courtesy of Jordan Poole, who made it.
Meanwhile, the Lakers were attacking the rim in the first half, hence why there were so many trips to the free-throw line. Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder had the most trips for the Lakers. Davis went 5-for-5 from the free throw line, while Schroder went 5-for-6. Only eight of their 44 field goal attempts were from behind the arc.
This is only the first half of Game 1. But, as the series goes longer and the stakes growing that much more, the reactions to calls are going to intensify.