The Los Angeles Lakers took Game 3 of their Western Conference Semifinal series against the Golden State Warriors. Despite the defending champions racing out to an 11-point lead in the second quarter, the Lakers rode a 30-8 run in the frame to a nine-point halftime lead. That cushion grew and grew during the second half, and by the time things came to an end, L.A. went up, 2-1, thanks to a 127-97 win.
As has been the case in both Lakers wins, L.A.’s physicality and desire to attack the rim led to a whole lot of free throws. After the game, Draymond Green cited this as the main reason why the Warriors lost their grip on the game in the second quarter.
“They game stopped,” Green said when asked why the team’s momentum dissipated in the second. “[They were] on the free throw line every time.”
When asked about the way the officials called the game, Green said “it is what it is, game over now, don’t matter if I’m satisfied.” He also called it “frustrating” when a game stops and starts.
The Lakers shot 37 free throws on Saturday night, with 15 of them coming in the second quarter. This included a technical foul on Green, who expressed his discontent over his third foul of the night in such a way that he was T’d up.
The free throw line has been crucial to the Lakers in their two wins this season, as they outscored the Warriors by 20 points from the line in Game 1 and 16 points in Game 3. In their one loss in the series, the two teams were level on points from the charity stripe.
