Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors’ star, criticized the refereeing in Saturday’s 145-144 double-overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The nine-time All-Star said he was “frustrated” by the officials’ inconsistent calls.
“You want to be in place where the players decide the game or it’s consistent on both ends of what you’re calling,” he was quoted as saying. “… There were perhaps three plays in which I was involved that were obviously terrible calls.”
The Lakers tried 43 free throws to the Warriors’ 16; Golden State was penalized for 13 more fouls. LeBron James made two free throws with one second remaining in the second overtime period to give Los Angeles the victory.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr expressed his thoughts on the officiating as well, but declined to comment:
The disparity in free throws stood out. Los Angeles held a 27-point advantage at the charity stripe.
Curry cited one reason why the Warriors struggled to get to the line on Saturday. Teams that rely primarily on the perimeter game are less likely to make contact, especially with the NBA attempting to limit the ways a shooter can generate a foul.
Golden State made 58 three-pointers against Los Angeles, with Curry accounting for 21 of them. That doesn’t fully explain why the two-time MVP only had three free throws, but it does provide some explanation.