Australian Josh Giddey and superstar Steph Curry were at the centre of a controversial call as the Golden State Warriors eked out a 141-139 win over Oklahoma City on the first day of the NBA's inaugural in-season tournament.
Thunder forward Lu Dort (29 points) levelled the scores with 16 seconds remaining by netting one of two free throws.
That left the Warriors with one last chance to break the deadlock in Oklahoma City on Saturday afternoon (AEDT) and Curry had the ball in his hands as the seconds ticked down.
Rather than shooting from long range as is his strength, the superstar guard charged through the paint for a lay-up that looked to have won the game for Golden State.
But officials put the play under review for a possible goal-tend, with veteran Warriors forward Draymond Green appearing to have touched the rim before the ball had made its way in.
Play stopped for five minutes as the officials examined footage.
Replays showed that Australian Josh Giddey had touched the net before Green made contact with the rim, constituting a goal-tend on the defensive end.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said the referees told him that because Green's contact with the rim had not affected the ball's trajectory, the points counted and the Warriors were the winners.
"To be honest I don't really know how the rule is written, but that was the explanation I got," he said.
"I'm assuming they got that right."
Giddey was not informed whether his initial contact with the net had influenced the call.
"Once the ball goes up and they make the decision, it's out of our hands from there," he said.
"At the end of the day, I don't think for us it should have come down to that. We had every chance to win that game."
Without his usual back-court partner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (knee injury), Giddey took charge for the Thunder with 14 fourth-quarter points in a seesawing game.
He pulled off two three-point plays in quick succession early in the period, drawing fouls as he drove through the paint and went up for shots.
It came after Giddey struggled from the field earlier on, with only four points to his name before the final change and four turnovers.
"He always stays fearless, that's one of the things I respect about him," Daigneault said.
"He stays in it, competitively."
Zach LaVine had the chance to send the Chicago Bulls' game with Brooklyn into overtime, but his jump-shot hit the rim in the final seconds and the Nets held on to win 109-107.
Dorian Finney-Smith top-scored for the Nets with 21 points, while Australian Ben Simmons had nine rebounds and six assists to go with his eight points.
The Portland Trail Blazers prolonged Memphis' winless start to the season in a 115-113 overtime win.
Shaedon Sharpe hit two free-throws to tie the scores at the end of regulation before top-scoring for the Blazers with seven points in over-time and breaking the Grizzlies' hearts.
Jalen Brunson's 45 points weren't enough to prevent the New York Knicks from falling 110-105 against Milwaukee.
NBA IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT:
- The two conferences have been split into three groups of five, with each team playing its rival group members once.
- Group-stage games will feature on Wednesdays and Saturdays (AEDT) for the next month, with a knockout phase set for December.
- All games but the final will contribute towards regular-season rankings.
- Players on each team that makes the knockout stage will receive cash bonuses, topping out at $US500,000 per head for those on the winning team, which will also receive the NBA Cup.
- An MVP trophy and All-Tournament Team honours are also up for grabs.
