The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a tough loss in double overtime on Thursday to Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, and a couple of alleged non-calls had them feeling like perhaps they were robbed.
At the end of regulation, with the score tied at 101, Troy Brown Jr. shot a 3-pointer as Dallas guard Tim Hardaway Jr. appeared to hack him. Then at the end of the first overtime with the game tied again, LeBron James drove to the basket and appeared to get fouled by Christian Wood.
The NBA routinely issues a Last Two Minutes Report that audits any missed calls, and it admitted that James was fouled by Wood and should’ve been sent to the free throw line as a result.
The Last Two Minutes Report for Lakers-Mavs is out. The NBA stood by the no call on Troy Brown’s shot at the end of regulation, but say LeBron James was fouled by Christian Wood at the end of the 1st OT pic.twitter.com/Bb4UN4RpAV
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 13, 2023
At the end of the day, the report is of no help to L.A. The team is now 19-22 and a full game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 10th spot in the Western Conference.
With the exact midway point of the season now here, every game will carry even more importance for the Lakers when it comes to their hopes of returning to the playoffs this spring.