Frank Vogel 'Very Disappointed' In Lengthy Review in Lakers' Loss vs. Clippers

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel expressed frustration in the referees' decision to allow a Los Angeles Clippers' review inside the final minute of Friday's game, which led to an overturned call and the ball being given to the Clips.

With just under 30 seconds left and the Lakers down one, LeBron James made an attempt to save a ball, which was then knocked out of play by the Clippers' Robert Covington. The Clippers successfully challenged James was out of bounds. 

Vogel argued the review shouldn't have been allowed since the sequence continued with Covington making the final play before the whistle, per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.

"I disagree strongly with the ruling," he said. "... It's just wrong."

The Clippers held on for a 105-102 victory in the battle of L.A.

James, who noted he'd "never seen" such a replay review, argued the officials' actions played a role in the final result. 

"It definitely impacted the moment," he said.

If the Lakers were living up to expectations as an NBA title contender, such a controversial ending would be a minor footnote at season's end. That's not the case, however, as every loss pushes them closer to the playoff fringe.

L.A. owns a 27-32 record, which ranks ninth in the Western Conference and leaves James and Co. just 3.5 games ahead of the 11th-place San Antonio Spurs in the race for the final spots in the play-in tournament.

That doesn't leave James and Co. a ton of margin for error down the stretch, particularly since Anthony Davis is sidelined through at least mid-March because of a foot injury.

In turn, narrow losses like the one to the Clippers on Friday night could come back to haunt the Lakers, which could be a reason Vogel was so passionate in expressing his frustration.

The Lakers weren't blameless in defeat, though. They shot just 41.9 percent from the field while knocking down only eight of their 31 attempts from three-point range (25.8 percent).

"This is a game we're supposed to win," Carmelo Anthony said.

L.A. returns to action Sunday when its hosts the New Orleans Pelicans (24-36), another team in the battle for a play-in berth in the West.