Heat's LeBron James Fails to Attempt Free Throw in Sunday's Loss to the Bulls
Before Sunday's 95-88 overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat forward LeBron James had attempted at least one free throw in every game since Dec. 2, 2009, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
However, with no attempts Sunday, James snapped his streak of 410 consecutive games, including playoffs, with a visit to the charity stripe. That amounts to exactly five 82-game regular seasons.
The two-time defending MVP entered Sunday tied for seventh in the league with 7.6 free-throw attempts per game, while taking the eighth most all season with 433. Nonetheless, against a Chicago team currently ranked second in limiting free-throw attempts (19.7 allowed per game), James did not earn a single trip to the line.
Much of the credit for James' inactivity can be attributed to Bulls swingman Jimmy Butler, who played a game-high 48 minutes and only committed one foul, despite guarding James virtually the entire game.
Along with Butler, center Joakim Noah blocked five shots, helping to discourage James from attacking the rim in search of contact.
The last time James failed to shoot a free throw during a game came in his last season for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Following that outing, James attempted 10 free throws in his next game, which coincidentally was versus the Bulls.
