NBA L2M: LeBron James' Missed Game-Winner Among 7 Wrong Calls from Lakers-Mavericks
Officials missed seven different calls in the final two minutes of regulation and both overtime periods during the Dallas Mavericks' 119-115 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, according to the NBA's Last Two Minute Report.
Per ESPN, the league determined that Mavs forward Christian Wood should have been called for a foul when contesting Lakers star LeBron James' potentially game-winning shot attempt with 2.9 seconds left in the first overtime.
It was determined that Wood "initiated contact to James' left arm before blocking the shot," meaning LeBron should have been given the opportunity to put the Lakers ahead at the free-throw line.
The NBA also found that during the scramble for the loose ball after Wood blocked James, Mavericks superstar guard Luka Dončić should have been called for a foul on Lakers forward Wenyen Gabriel.
One controversial call that the league confirmed to be right was Mavs guard Tim Hardaway Jr.'s challenge of Lakers forward Troy Brown Jr. at the end of regulation.
Hardaway made contact with both the ball and Brown's hand, but the NBA deemed that Hardaway "legally contested" the shot and stated that any contact with Brown's hand was incidental.
Brown's shot occurred at the buzzer in the fourth quarter, just after Dončić nailed a three-pointer to tie the game with six seconds remaining.
While the findings of the Last Two Minute Report suggest that the Lakers have a legitimate beef, it shouldn't take away from another star-enhancing performance put forth by Dončić.
The NBA MVP candidate led all players with 35 points in the game while adding 14 rebounds and 13 assists to complete the triple-double.
LeBron kept the Lakers in the game with 24 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists in a team-high 47 minutes, as did Russell Westbrook with 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists off the bench.
Despite playing without superstar big man Anthony Davis, the Lakers have been successful as of late, winning five consecutive games before back-to-back losses to the Denver Nuggets and Mavs.
After a slow start, L.A. has gotten itself to 19-23, just one game out of the final postseason play-in spot in the Western Conference.
As for the Mavs, they are fifth in the West at 24-19, but given how wide open the conference is plus the presence of Dončić, they are very much in the championship conversation.
