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A Jaren Jackson Jr. Reddit conspiracy theory spread so fast, the NBA had to debunk it

Jaren Jackson Jr.’s prowess at blocked shots has earned praise as he seeks his first NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. It also attracted a mild Twitter controversy Saturday.

A poster on NBA Reddit alleged that Jackson’s defensive stats were inflated because the Memphis Grizzlies forward was awarded questionable blocks and steals at home. Someone on Twitter then compiled a video thread of plays further alleging blocks and steals were misattributed to Jackson at home.

However, the NBA verified the stats recorded by the Grizzlies’ scorekeeper are, in fact, legitimate in a statement provided to The Commercial Appeal.

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“In order to ensure the integrity of our game statistics, auditors, independent of the statisticians on-site, review all plays and stats decisions in real time during NBA games,” said Tim Frank, NBA senior vice president of league operation communications. ”If changes are necessary, they are made at that time or following a postgame review. All of the plays questioned in the post on Memphis games were scored consistently within the rules set forth by the NBA statisticians manual.”

Jackson is third in the league with 103 blocks despite missing the early part of the season because of a stress fracture in his foot. Sixty-six of his blocks have come at home.

It’s not uncommon for players to perform better at home than on the road. But the NBA hasn’t hesitated to change stats upon further review. LeBron James, for example, has had at least two triple-doubles taken away because of a miscounted assist or rebound.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Reddit: NBA debunks controversy over Jaren Jackson Jr stats in Memphis