NBA says three incorrect calls were made late in Tuesday’s Lakers-Suns game
The Los Angeles Lakers showed their grit and resourcefulness when they outlasted the Phoenix Suns in a 106-103 win on Tuesday in the quarterfinal round of the NBA in-season tournament. As a result, they will be heading to Las Vegas to face the New Orleans Pelicans in the semifinal round on Thursday.
But the Lakers’ win on Tuesday was marred by some controversy. With 7.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter, they inbounded the ball, and it appeared Austin Reaves lost control of it while being hounded by Devin Booker. A timeout was awarded to L.A., and some felt that Reaves either lost possession or was fouled by Booker.
The NBA’s report on the last two minutes of the game, which is released after each game that is played, confirmed that Reaves actually recovered possession of the ball and pinned it against his leg when the timeout, which was called by LeBron James, was granted.
In fact, the report also acknowledged that there were three incorrect non-calls that should’ve gone against Phoenix.
And here's the other possession where LeBron was fouled by KD and then AD was fouled by Nurkic. It would have been KD's sixth. pic.twitter.com/2vXZIEfaMv
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) December 6, 2023
Shortly before the timeout controversy, Reaves hit the decisive shot of the game, which was a 3-pointer that put the Lakers ahead by four points. James produced 31 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds and five steals to generate the win for his team.
