Officiating in the NBA is a highly scrutinized job. The NBA reviews referees and issues statements after games when they've made an error in the final two minutes, called the last two-minute report. And wouldn't you know it? The Nuggets got burned by a bad call in the final seconds of regulation of the overtime loss against the Lakers, and now fans have a colossal reason to question whether the outcome of the game would have swung in Denver's favor.
Tim MacMahon highlighted the error in officiating on the "Brian Windhorst and the Hoop Collective" podcast, saying the Lakers' win was not only due to their performance, but also "thanks to a bad whistle by the refs."
The Lakers inbound pass with 9.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter to Austin Reaves was actually well defended by Spencer Jones, who, as the NBA put it, "cleanly dislodges the ball away from Reaves." Windhorst, a bit facetiously, says, "Ah, the Nuggets have beef? Eh?" Yes, Windy. We do.
Now we have to question the outcome
So could this call have changed anything? Probably. Instead of two free throws to bring the game to within one and keep time off the clock, the Lakers are in-bounding under the hoop at worst, and there's a jump ball at best for possession of the loose ball.
It changes the whole flow of the ending, and the outcome could certainly have flipped for the Nuggets in regulation.
There's less time on the clock because there's another inbound play at 9.2 seconds left. The Lakers wouldn't have had 5.2 seconds left for Reaves to miss and recover his free throw, gather, and shoot. The incredibly bad bounce doesn't get a chance to do the Nuggets in if this call swings to a non-shooting loose-ball out-of-bounds play.
It's pretty frustrating to think the Nuggets literally got burned by the refs in a crucial game.
The Nuggets lost more than the game
Not only did the Nuggets lose the game to the Lakers in overtime, 127-125, but they also lost the playoff seeding tiebreaker.
The Nuggets came into the game three for four in meaningful tiebreakers, having won the season series against each of the teams they are jockeying with for position in the crowded Western Conference standings: the T-Wolves, the Suns, and the Rockets.
But the Nuggets will have to let the dream of quad tiebreakers go now, thanks to a bad whistle and call against perhaps the team's most intense rival. Chalk it up to another tough loss in the clutch. We should be glad these are happening now. Clear it all out before the playoffs start, please.