A dejected Doug Christie was at a loss for words when asked about the massive free-throw disparity in his team’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, but the way he crumpled up the box score as he left the podium said it all.
The Lakers amassed an absurd 46-18 advantage in free-throw attempts in a controversial 127-120 victory over the Sacramento Kings before a sellout crowd of 17,832 at Golden 1 Center.
“We’ve got to play defense without fouling obviously,” Christie said. “But there are two teams on the floor, so it’s wild. It’s wild. It’s wild. … I don’t know that you’ll ever win a game, ever in life, with free throws like that.”
Austin Reaves put up a career-high 51 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the Lakers (2-1) with LeBron James and Luka Doncic out due to injuries. Reaves went 12 of 22 from the field, 6 of 10 from 3-point range and converted 21 of his 22 free-throw attempts.
Zach LaVine scored 32 points to lead the Kings (1-2), becoming the sixth Kings player in the Sacramento era to score 30 or more in three consecutive games. DeMar DeRozan had 21 points, six rebounds and six assists.
The Kings had more field-goal attempts (101-80) and made more 3-pointers (18-8), but they couldn’t overcome the free-throw disparity. The Lakers made 41 of 46 free-throw attempts while the Kings made 12 of 18.
DeRozan, a 17-year NBA veteran who is 25th all-time in the NBA in scoring, was asked if he had ever seen anything like it.
“No, it’s crazy,” DeRozan said “Forty-six free throws to our 18. … Forty-six free throws is crazy. It’s crazy.”
Kings point guard Dennis Schroder pointed to the third quarter, when the Lakers attempted 18 free throws after getting into the bonus with 6:11 to go.
“I think we just got to do a better job of not fouling the jump shooter, but if we’re in the bonus, just being more disciplined and don’t foul when they’re in the bonus,” Schroder said.
Kings center Domantas Sabonis went to the bench after getting called for two fouls in the first five minutes. Keon Ellis had to take a seat after picking up his third foul with 9:58 to play in the first half.
Ellis left the game again after getting whistled for his fourth foul with 10:06 to go in the third period. Undrafted rookie Dylan Cardwell came on to replace Sabonis when Sabonis was called for his fourth foul with 6:11 to play in the third.
Cardwell picked up his fourth foul three minutes later. At that point, the Lakers had a 37-9 advantage in free-throw attempts. Christie called a timeout to challenge
The Lakers attempted 12 free throws in the first quarter, nine in the second, 18 in the third and seven in the fourth.
DeRozan said it was difficult for the Kings to maintain a rhythm with the Lakers going to the free-throw line over and over again.
“It’s deflating,” DeRozan said. “Especially when we’re going out there trying to play hard, trying to compete, and it seems like we’re getting called for fouls, but on the other end when we’re trying to be aggressive, nothing is going our way.”
This story was originally published October 27, 2025 at 12:22 AM.
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Jason Anderson
The Sacramento Bee
Jason Anderson is The Sacramento Bee’s Kings beat writer. He is a Sacramento native and a graduate of Fresno State, where he studied journalism and college basketball under the late Jerry Tarkanian.
