NBA says clock 'error' led to extra time being played during Grizzlies' loss to Lakers
The Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Lakers inadvertently played an additional 1 minute and 6 seconds during Friday night's game, an NBA spokesman said Saturday.
The Grizzlies lost 123-120 at FedExForum.
During the third quarter of the game, the Grizzlies were whistled for a shot clock violation. With 1:14 on the clock, the referees stopped the game because the shot clock had reset even though the Grizzlies did not hit the rim on the possession.
When the shot clock was reset, though, the game clock was also reset from 1:14 to 2:20. No one seemed to notice, and the teams continued to play the rest of the game from that point. It meant the game went an extra 1:06.
"We have confirmed that the game clock was inaccurately set in the third quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers-Memphis Grizzlies game last night at FedExForum," Tim Frank, a spokesman for the NBA, said in a statement to the Commercial Appeal. "After a shot clock violation, the clock was set at 2:20 when it should have been at 1:14. The error was not noticed in real time by the teams, the referees, the game clock operator or the stats crew. While unfortunate, the error was not identified in time to resolve the situation in-game."
During the extra 1:06 played in the third quarter, the score was 2-2.
The Grizzlies actually took the lead with exactly 1:06 to play, when Jake LaRavia connected on two free throws to put Memphis up 118-117. But the Lakers took control after that, and LeBron James sealed the victory with an emphatic reverse dunk in the final seconds.
Extra time wasn't the only officiating issue in the game. The NBA's Last 2 Minute report found that James should have been called for two traveling violations in the last two minutes, but neither got called. There also should have been a foul called on Rui Hachimura on a GG Jackson shot attempt with 12.2 seconds to go, the report said.
Friday's game wasn't particularly important for the Grizzlies, who were eliminated from playoff contention a while ago. But it was a critical win for the Lakers, who are battling for seeding in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Los Angeles entered Friday's game tied with the Kings and Warriors for the No. 8 seed but now has sole possession of that spot thanks to the win and losses by those two teams.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: NBA says clock 'error' led to extra 1:06 played during Grizzlies vs Lakers
