The NBL has admitted to a scoring error that would have been even more embarrassing if a late shot by Cairns import Rob Edwards had gone in.
In a statement released on Thursday, the NBL said the Perth Wildcats' 90-87 win over the Taipans on October 10 should have actually been 91-87.
Luckily for league officials, Edwards' three-point attempt on the buzzer missed.
If it had gone in, overtime would have been played, meaning Cairns could have won a match that they technically had already lost.
"There was an error in the process and handling of the scores which wasn't detected until after the game," the NBL said of the scoring mistake.
Given that the NBL operates under FIBA rules, and that FIBA rules state that scoring errors are no longer correctable after the "ball becomes dead when the game clock sounds for the end of the game", the incorrect score of 90-87 will stand.
"We own, accept, and take full responsibility for the error made," NBL boss of basketball operations Vince Crivelli said.
"We take the matter extremely seriously and will continue to educate our personnel on the correct processes and protocols."
The Wildcats (2-3) are away to the New Zealand Breakers on Saturday, with Cairns (3-3) hosting Illawarra.
