Takeaways from Warriors' Loss to Lakers: 2 Dubs Players Need to Get Out of Slump

The Golden State Warriors couldn't contain the Los Angeles Lakers offense in the third quarter, eventually falling 105-99 to on Saturday at Staples Center.

The Warriors (28-25) led 42-41 at halftime, but the Lakers (32-19) poured in 38 points in the third and never looked back.

Moses Moody had a game-high 25 points with Stephen Curry out for his third straight game with runner's knee. LeBron James paced the Lakers with 20 points and 10 assists.

Here are two takeaways from Saturday's game.

Post and Richard Are in a Slump

Quentin Post and Will Richard were two the biggest winners for the Warriors in the early part of the season.

Post was a plus/minus darling, with his improved defense shining through.

Richard was shocking efficient, shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from three through December.

They have both hit a wall, and with the Warriors currently undermanned, it's costing them games.

Since the beginning of January, Richard is shooting 35.9 percent from the field and 27.6 percent from three. On Saturday, he had zero points and was a minus-13 in 10 minutes.

Since losing his starting role entering the Mavericks game on Jan. 22, Post is averaging just 5.8 points per game while shooting 38.0 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from three. On Saturday, he had zero points and was a minus-six in five minutes.

On the one hand, the Warriors can simply go to different options when they are healthier after the All-Star break. On the other hand, the Warriors need to develop Post and Richard, as both could be more relied upon next season. After all, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis could be free agents this offseason, so Post could end up being the starting center if he's re-signed. And Richard could play more if the Warriors lose De'Anthony Melton in free agency.

Steve Kerr has the difficult task of keeping Post and Richard in the rotation with the hope they eventually break out, but also not playing them too much as to torpedo the team's record.

Free-Throw Disparity Will Be Huge Problem Down the Stretch

The Lakers took 19 more free-throw attempts than the Warriors on Saturday, and though I'm sure many Warriors fan will point out that's partially to do with the grifting of Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart, the bigger issue is that the Warriors shoot tons of threes and are pretty small, forcing them to foul much more than their opponents do.

Jimmy Butler almost single-handedly made this a non-issue most of the time, as he averaged 7.6 free-throw attempts per game and rarely ever committed shooting fouls. It's like a double-whammy with him out for the season.

The Warriors were outshot 21-2 from the line against the 76ers on Tuesday. Against the Lakers, they were outshot 30-11.

You'll hear announcers Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike constantly implore Warriors players to drive to the basket more and stop settling for so many threes. But the issue is the Warriors don't have great ball-handlers, so when they do drive to the cup, they often get into trouble and turn it over.

Essentially, what I'm saying is this free-throw-disparity problem is more of a roster issue than an execution one.

General manager Mike Dunleavy and team governor Joe Lacob deserve the brunt of the blame for the roster decisions that led to this huge weakness.