Since the NBA All-Star break, the Los Angeles Lakers have become one of the most consistent teams in the league. Following their most recent win over the Chicago Bulls, the Lakers are now 11-6 post the NBA All-Star game.
A huge contribution to those wins has been the Purple and Gold’s consistency from the free throw line. But many believe that the Lakers are getting an unfair advantage with the whistle this season. So much so that the Lakers have an enormous free throw attempt differential this season.
Woah pic.twitter.com/LnFq2Bgx6a
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 30, 2023
The graphic clearly shows that the Lakers have a free throw attempt differential of +411 (+428 after the game). It may not have looked this insane if the Lakers didn’t lead the second-best team on the list, the Sacramento Kings, by more than double. The Kings recently overtook the Miami Heat for second place on the list.
There was a time during the season when most Lakers fans were worried about their team getting unfair treatment from the referees. Sure, some of those calls were questionable, but it seems safe to assume that the Lakers are not getting treated differently by the refs, at least in the wrong way.
In fact, for a team that ranks 20th in drives per game this season, having such a huge lead in the free throw attempt differential seems alarming for other NBA teams.
The Los Angeles Lakers Have Saved Their Season
At one point during the 2022-23 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers’ hopes to advance for the postseason looked very bleak.
But after making some smart moves around the NBA trade deadline, the Lakers have essentially saved their season. After registering a comfortable 121-110 victory over the Bulls, the Lakers now have a 38-38 record.
They have climbed to the eighth spot in the Western Conference table and have great momentum heading into their final six games of the season.
The Purple and Gold could legitimately become a top-six seed in the West, as claimed by LeBron James. Now, whether the Lakers can win the 2023 NBA Championship or not is something that we cannot predict right now.
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