The Los Angeles Lakers went down to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night, 132-116, in a rout at the Moda Center in a matchup where both teams were shorthanded. LeBron James was left to carry the Lakers, but ultimately fell short against Portland’s depth. However, after the game, the blame was pointed squarely in one direction.

In the postgame interview, at first, James was focused on the process that the Lakers tried to channel: a solid offensive game and a clear defensive plan to press up, stay in front, and make every shot contested. His answer quickly shifted.

“I thought the whistle was very short in the first quarter,” James told reporters. “I think it was like maybe 17, 18, 20 free throws in the first quarter… It’s hard to set your defense with that type of situation, but we gave ourselves a chance a couple times, but it was an uphill battle.”

The Blazers shot a staggering 22 free throws in just the first quarter, more than the Lakers attempted the entire game. LeBron calling the matchup an “uphill battle” was a clear description of how the game felt for the visitors from the very beginning.

When teams live at the free-throw line early, their opponents slowly lose rhythm, both on offense and defense, and it leads to excessive punishment of physical play. James did note that despite LA trying to contest every shot, the Blazers still made quite a few contested twos and off-the-dribble threes, taking advantage of the already messed-up rhythm.

James himself had a tough night without costars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who missed tonight’s game due to groin soreness and a calf sprain, respectively. He logged 20 points on poor efficiency (6-16 FG), but still managed to flirt with a triple-double by collecting nine rebounds and eight assists.

LeBron James Pushes Back on Physicality Narrative After Free-Throw Disparity

During LeBron James’ postgame interview, one reporter pointed to Marcus Smart‘s recent comments following the Lakers’ last game against the Charlotte Hornets. Smart had indicated that the Lakers needed to set the tone for physicality early, adding that the “toughest team sets the rules.” Now, since Portland lived at the free throw line, did the approach backfire?

“No,” James replied. “I didn’t think that we were doing something that was like outlandish or was warranting of certain calls… There was just a couple calls that was difficult.”

Top Stories

Kobe Bryant’s Ex-Teammate Arrested Over DUI Charges

WNBA Fans Push Back on Natasha Cloud After Unrivaled Backup Plan Comments

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Speaks Out on Iran Protests

NBC Pulls Plug on Michael Jordan Plans After Contradictions Over $40M Payday

Warriors Dread Breaking Bad News to Stephen Curry as Trade Deadline Nears

This wasn’t just limited to shooting fouls either, with one bewildering offensive foul making rounds on social media. James was called for a flagrant 1 foul, and head coach JJ Redick even earned a technical foul for arguing with the referees.

James clearly indicated various moments where he felt the frustration was magnified by calls made by officials, which fed into a larger imbalance, but he stopped himself there, choosing not to escalate the situation.

James, at age 41, is clearly a veteran, and he understands that this is just the nature of the game on some nights. He closed the question with a simple statement:

“That’s the game, and get ready for tomorrow.”