Oct 26, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard/forward Demar Derozan (10) high fives a team mate after scoring against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

DeMar DeRozan Shades Officiating After Kings' Loss to Lakers

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated Oct 27, 2025 12:37 AM ET

After splitting their first two games of the 2025-26 season, the Sacramento Kings ran into their biggest challenge yet on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. However, when the Kings seemed to catch a break with the Lakers playing without Luka Doncic and LeBron James, things still did not go their way.

Of course, the Kings seem to always struggle against teams that are playing without their top stars, but Sunday's loss was simply deflating.

Not only did Lakers guard Austin Reaves have the best performance of his career with 51 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists on 6-10 shooting from deep, but Los Angeles shot 46 free throws compared to Sacramento's 18. Reaves alone shot more free throws than the entire Kings team, with 21 of his 51 points coming from the line, which is an absurd mark.

DeMar DeRozan reacts to free-throw discrepancy

Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

DeMar DeRozan, a six-time NBA All-Star, finished Sunday's loss with 21 points and six rebounds, but he was far more focused on the out-of-sorts free-throw discrepancy after Sunday's loss.

"It's crazy. 46 free throws to 18? And we had to beg for most of those," DeRozan said. "It's deflating. Especially when we're going out there trying to play hard, trying to compete. It seemed like we're getting called for fouls, but on the other end when we try to be aggressive, nothing goes our way. It's kind of deflating at times, especially when you're trying to get it going... 46 free throws is crazy. It's crazy."

“46 free throws is crazy.” -DeMar DeRozan pic.twitter.com/oj8samhemr
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) October 27, 2025

DeRozan was even asked where Austin Reaves hurt the Kings the most, to which the star forward answered, "the free-throw line. 22 free throws for him."

DeRozan said he has never been in a game like that through his 17-year NBA career. Los Angeles' 46 free-throw attempts on Sunday night are the tenth most by a team in the last three seasons, while Reaves' 22 are the sixth most by a player in that same time frame.

Of course, the Lakers' huge free-throw advantage was a combination of shaky officiating and the Kings being too physical on defense, as DeRozan even said he doesn't know which one played the bigger factor, although he undoubtedly hinted at the officiating favoring Los Angeles.

Regardless, the Kings did not play an incredible game, so while they lost the free-throw battle by an absurd amount, there is no way to say that they should have won if calls had gone in their favor.

The Kings will now just have to move on from this lopsided game to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in their next outing on Tuesday.

This article first appeared on Sacramento Kings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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