Doug Christie Reacts to Wild Free-Throw Disparity in Kings vs. Lakers Game

Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie was in disbelief over the Los Angeles Lakers' huge free-throw advantage on Sunday.

Apr 2, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie (R) argues with referee Sean Corbin (33) against the Washington Wizards in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings were looking to take advantage of a Los Angeles Lakers team playing without Luka Doncic and LeBron James on Sunday night, but they ended up suffering one of the most deflating losses possible.

Playing without their top two stars, the Lakers turned to Austin Reaves, who had a career night. Reaves finished with 51 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists, shooting 21-22 from the free-throw line. Reave ended up shooting more free throws than the entire Kings team, as the overall free-throw disparity was something many people have never seen before.

Free throws tonight:

22 — Austin Reaves
18 — Kings pic.twitter.com/zbqmTNLnWX

— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 27, 2025

As a team, the Lakers shot 46 free-throws, compared to the Kings' 18 attempts.

Of course, the Lakers ultimately won 127-120, as it is practically impossible for a team to win a game when the other team makes 29 more free throws. Kings star DeMar DeRozan threw some shade at the officiating after Sunday's game, while head coach Doug Christie was more in shock that he just witnessed that big a discrepancy.

"46? I mean, we've got to play defense without fouling, obviously, but there are two teams on the floor. So that's wild. That's wild. Wild," Christie said. "I don't know that you'll ever win a game, ever in life, with free throws like that... It's a shame. There's a lot of 'touchy stuff' going both ways. Like, there's not one team on the floor. There's two teams on the floor... That's wild."

Kings head coach Doug Christie was dejected following tonight's loss to the Lakers. Like the players themselves, upset, mystified, frustrated by the 46-18 free throw differential. pic.twitter.com/HK8eApbpZY

— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) October 27, 2025

The Kings, on one side, did it to themselves by fouling too much, but Christie believes that both teams were being aggressive and only the Kings were punished for it. Christie called it "wild," DeRozan called it "crazy," yet all the Kings can do now is move on to the next.

Of course, that is a deflating loss for the Kings, but it is only the third game of the season. The Kings have proven that they are a talented group and have the weapons to hang with any team in the league. They have to use Sunday's loss to learn as they move forward into a very long 82-game season, and cannot hang their head too much on getting crushed by a massive free-throw disparity.

There are still some bright spots for the Kings from Sunday's game, like Zach LaVine notching his third consecutive 30-point outing with 32 in the loss, while veteran point guard Russell Westbrook had his best game in a Kings uniform with 18 points, six rebounds, and six assists off the bench.

The Kings now move on to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, giving them another huge test where they cannot let their mistakes get the best of them.