Swish Appeal noted a broader league-wide trend toward high-frequency whistle blowing, recording 1,316 total fouls through the first 10 days of the season for an average of 21.9 fouls per team per game.
A matchup between the Los Angeles Sparks and Toronto Tempo on Sunday exemplified the statistical surge, resulting in 59 called fouls and 72 total free-throw attempts.
"That was ugly. That was hard to watch.
72 free throws? I get it, they're trying to clean it up, but that's painful.
So, it is hard.
I think Toronto went five minutes in the third quarter without attempting a field goal because they just were shooting free throws," said Lynne Roberts, Head Coach of the Los Angeles Sparks.
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Additional league trends tracked by Swish Appeal showed a league-wide drop in three-point accuracy to 33.2%, accompanied by an increase in inside production to 39.2 points in the paint per game.
