Dub Hub, Daily Warriors Links for 5/8/23: Warriors don’t blame officiating for Game 3 loss vs. Lakers

Good Morning Dub Nation,

The Golden State Warriors lost Game 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers over the weekend, 127-97. The blowout defeat puts them down 2-1 in the series, however the conversations after the game centered around the large free-throw disparity between the two teams.

In Game 3, the Warriors shot significantly less free-throws (17) than the Lakers (37) with a gap similar to that of Game 1. A lot of this is caused by the schematic differences of the two teams as the Lakers’ offense focuses on attacking the rim, while the Warriors tend to settle for jump shots — especially with Los Angeles center Anthony Davis relentlessly defending the paint. This leads to more free-throw attempts for the Lakers, which isn’t surprising considering they led the league in free-throw rate while the Warriors were among the teams that committed the most fouls. Having said that, Golden State won’t let the officiating be an excuse for their poor performance.

The constant free throws — along with turnovers, poor shot selection, and self-inflicted mistakes — disrupted the flow of the game and threw the Warriors off their rhythm. Before that, one could argue Golden State was in complete control of the game, however, a sloppy second quarter saw the defending champions uncharacteristically lose their poise.

Fortunately, spirits remain high as Golden State looks to bounce back in Game 4. The Warriors felt they let one slip away, but their vast postseason experience lends them confidence heading into tonight’s pivotal matchup.

Here are the rest of today’s stories:

In case you missed it from Golden State of Mind:

• Andre Iguodala expected to participate in team practices next week
• Player grades: Game 3
• How the Lakers mucked up the Steph Curry-Draymond Green pick-and-roll with a simple change in assignments
• Warriors self-destruct, get blown out in Game 3
• Warriors sticking with JaMychal Green in starting lineup for Game 3 vs. Lakers

Other Warriors News:

• How the Lakers are using their advantage at the free-throw line to beat the Warriors (The Athletic)
• Kawakami: Ranking the Warriors’ fifth-starter options for Game 4, from Jordan Poole to Jonathan Kuminga (The Athletic)
• Warriors vs. Lakers: Golden State has an Anthony Davis problem, and starting Jordan Poole might be the answer (CBS Sports)
• Lakers’ Anthony Davis explains inconsistent play during 2023 NBA playoffs (NBC Sports Bay Area)
• Mychal Thompson finding balance as he calls Lakers-Warriors games (NBA)

NBA News:

• NBA playoffs: Nikola Jokić shoves Suns owner Mat Ishbia, draws technical; fan ejected for touching Nuggets center(Yahoo Sports)
• Jimmy Butler vs. Tom Thibodeau: Inside an obscenity-filled, hilarious rivalry (ESPN)
• Bronny James, No. 19 recruit in 2023, commits to USC (ESPN)
• 3 takeaways from another James Harden masterclass in Game 4 win (SB Nation)
• Nick Gilbert, son of Cavaliers owner, dies at 26 (NBA)