WATCH: LeBron James, with a straight face, has a flavorless response to free throw difference between Lakers and Raptors after Darko Rajakovic’s public rant

It was the first back-to-back win for the Los Angeles Lakers coming into 2024. And they had to earn it the hard way. After a disappointing start to the year, LeBron James’ side edged away with a win against the Raptors. But the talk after the game was the number of free throws that were awarded to the home side. So much so that even James took to the post-match interview giving his reasoning on it.

After a hard-fought win over the Toronto Raptors by a marginal scoreline of 132-131, it was the brilliance of Anthony Davis that caught the headlines. But after the game, it was Darko Rajaković who was the first to point out the flaws in the games. The Toronto Raptors coach said:

That's outrageous. What happened tonight, this is completely BS, this is shame. Shame for the referees, shame for the league to allow this. 23 free throws for them, and we get two free throws in the 4th quarter? How to play the game? I understand, [I have] respect for all stars [in the league], but we have star players on our team as well.

Darko Rajakovic after the game

And for LeBron, he just added saying:

I feel like they fouled, and we didn’t.

Darko Rajakovic added

The Los Angeles Lakers had 36 free throws in the entirety of the game, a triple to what the Raptors got which was 13. And for sure did they take advantage draining 28, receiving 77.8% from free throws. But the story was far from what was actually said. The Raptors had committed 26 fouls in the entirety of the game, briefing as to how rough their side was, one of them even counted as a flagrant foul.

But on the Laker’s side of the story, they took their chances. Their Power Forward, Anthony Davis scored 41 points and had 11 rebounds in the entirety of the game as they got edged by a 132-131 win over an out-of-form Raports side. As the Los Angeles Lakers equal their win and loss tally by a record of 19-19, there is also a feeling of peer pressure upon the new crowed In-Season Tournament winners.

Woes still lingering for the Los Angeles Lakers

With 19 wins and 19 losses and a home record of 13-6, questions have been asked about the Lakers. From a title-challenging team to now an uncertainty of not even making the playoffs, it hasn’t been the best start of the 2024 season for them. And fingers have been pointed from the player’s mentality to the coaching, either way, it’s a huge mess.
Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham (Via Sports Illustrated)

As the Lakers gear up for the second half of the season, it still remains unclear as to what would be their next approach. Either way, fans hope their old ways of dominating the league will return swiftly.