The NBA has reported that the referees did not call a personal foul on Luka Doncic with 33 seconds left in the game that Los Angeles Lakers ended up losing 116-113 to the Minnesota Timberwolves, to go 3-1 down in their playoff series against the Minneapolis franchise.
At the time of the foul, an apparently unintentional trip by Jaden McDaniels on Doncic, the Lakers had possession and were trailing 114-113.
I was tripped up, no doubt
Doncic retained possession as he fell to the floor, and the Lakers called a timeout to avoid an eight-second violation.
“I was tripped, no doubt,” Doncic himself admitted.
If the foul had been called, Doncic would have gone to the free throw line with the opportunity to tie the score or give the Lakers the lead.
After the timeout, the Lakers took the ball from the sideline and the Timberwolves stole LeBron James’ pass (which he protested). The Los Angeles team committed a personal foul on Anthony Edwards, which on this occasion the referees did call. The Wolves star made both free throws with 10.9 seconds left.
Austin Reaves missed a three-pointer that would have tied the game for the Lakers on the last play of the game and the Timberwolves came away with the win.
The NBA’s Last Two Minute Report on McDaniels’ foul on Doncic
“McDaniels stands in the way of Doncic, initiating illegal contact with the foot that causes him to lose his balance,” the NBA said Monday in its Last Two Minute Report on the Timberwolves vs. Lakers game.
The NBA publishes these reports the day after games when the difference is three points or less at any time in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime.
The personal on Doncic was the second refereeing error acknowledged by the NBA on Sunday, after a foul was not called on Tim Hardaway Jr. in the final second of the game that the Detroit Pistons lost 93-94 to the New York Knicks.
Read the full article here
