NBA L2M Report Says Refs Missed Lane Violations on Haliburton FT During Pacers-Cavs G2
The officials missed multiple calls during the chaos of the final minutes of the Indiana Pacers' 120-119 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series on Tuesday.
The NBA released its Last Two Minute Report for the game, and three incorrect calls stood out.
As Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files shared, Aaron Nesmith's putback dunk on Pascal Siakam's missed free throw should have been a jump ball because of a double-lane violation. There was also a missed double-lane violation on Tyrese Haliburton's missed free throw and offensive rebound in the closing seconds, while officials also missed a defensive three seconds on Donovan Mitchell:
Cleveland surely won't be pleased to see the missed lane violations given how important the plays were, but it also blew a 20-point lead in the second half and put itself in a position where a call or two could make a difference in the outcome.
Nesmith's dunk off the missed free throw cut the deficit to 119-114 with 47 seconds remaining. The Cavaliers then turned it over on two possessions in a row leading to a Siakam basket and Haliburton free throws.
Haliburton made the first with 12 seconds left to cut the deficit to 119-117 and then rebounded his own miss on the second. With the lane violation going uncalled, he was able to dribble back behind the arc and unleash what proved to be the game-winning three-pointer.
Despite a couple questionable calls, it was an incredible comeback from the Pacers to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in the series. They now have the opportunity to close out the Eastern Conference's top seed with the next two games at home.
As for the Cavaliers, they were playing without Darius Garland (toe), Evan Mobley (ankle) and De'Andre Hunter (thumb) and will be in better position to win on the road if some or all of them return.
Donovan Mitchell had to do much of the heavy lifting on offense without them and finished with 48 points, nine assists, five rebounds and four steals in an incredible individual performance.
But it still wasn't enough to stop Indiana's comeback.
