NBA admits to one mistake in Last Two Minute Report of Lakers-Nuggets

Austin Reaves missed a free throw on purpose in the closing seconds of regulation, grabbed the rebound and made the shot that sent the game to overtime.

And Luka Dončić won the game for the Lakers with a tough jumper over Spencer Jones.

The NBA’s Last 2 Minute Report revealed that the officials called a foul on Spencer Jones with 9.2 seconds left in the fourth, which was an incorrect decision.

Jones (DEN) extends his right hand and cleanly dislodges the ball away from Reaves (LAL) after he received the inbound pass.

If the call were correct, Austin Reaves would not have gone to the free throw line. Instead, the Lakers would have inbounded the ball again, down by three. Given how close this game was, this is admittedly a bad call that hurt Denver.

However, all things considered, the officials only getting one thing wrong during a game this tight is pretty good. Sure, Nuggets fans might be upset about this call going against them, but it still would’ve been Lakers ball. Even if the call had been correct, there’s no telling whether it would’ve changed the game’s outcome.

During an 82-game season, good and bad breaks happen and it generally evens out in the end.

This error helped LA, but there have been moments this year where blown calls have hurt them in losses.

Overall, the Lakers have won these tight games regardless of the officiating. On the season, they are 18-6 in clutch games, the best record in the NBA.

In this Lakers-Nuggets matchup, LA led most of the way, executed better down the stretch and had a little luck on its side. That sounds like all the ingredients needed to have success in a fierce Western Conference.