A Moses Moody 3-pointer gave the Warriors a 40-29 lead with 7:53 left in the first half of Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Saturday night.
They wished the game had only lasted 16 minutes as opposed to 48. In a crushing 127-97 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, which left the Warriors trailing by two games to one, they occasionally behaved as though that was their optimistic reality.
The remainder of the night for the Warriors changed drastically in less than eight minutes. As the second quarter came to an end, Golden State was outscored 30-8. The Lakers prevailed 36-18 across the entire session.
At that point, the whistle also continued to sound.
After the defeat, Draymond Green said, "The game stopped." Every time, they were at the free-throw line.
The Warriors had gone the first four minutes of the second quarter without being called for a foul. Moody's 3-pointer gave them an 11-point lead at that point. In the stanza, the Lakers had not yet attempted a free throw. After a minute, Moody received a foul call.
The Warriors received nine fouls in the final seven minutes of the first half, five more than the Lakers received in the entire period. With 1:42 left, the Warriors attempted one free throw, while the Lakers attempted 15.
Green gave a single phrase in response to the question. He spoke that a team might be impacted by a game being stopped by fouls and free throws.
He gave further explanations. Steph Curry concurred with Green's judgment. The game's interruptions and lack of momentum are disadvantages for the Warriors.
Curry stated, "I just had to understand momentum." "The way that they attempt to defend us when the game pauses is not to our advantage." Everything matters in a game with two contrasting play styles.
"There was a turnover where Klay [Thompson] and I made a small communication error in transition, and the onslaught of whistles and other distractions rapidly changed the momentum." They really started to feel like they had life at that point, and they completed the quarter strongly. We must react because it persisted into the second half.
Additionally, Steve Kerr feels that the Warriors lost their composure throughout their dismal second-quarter performance.
Two fewer than the Lakers' 46 points in the paint, the Warriors scored 44. However, the latter made 20 more attempts at free throws.
The Warriors were heavily penalized in that part of the game, and their tendency to turn the ball over made matters worse. The Lakers scored 27 points as a result of the Warriors' 19 turnovers and 26 assists (the Warriors' magic number is 30 assists).
The Lakers were able to take a series lead in several different ways by collecting free throws. The Warriors must focus on one area and appear to be looking for solutions to the free-throw issue before a huge Game 4 awaits them on Monday night.