LA Lakers vs Phoenix Suns Last 2 Minute Report released: NBA admits 3 wrong calls made in controversial ending
The LA Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns 106-103 in the quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament on Tuesday night in a controversial win as many thought two calls against the Lakers were missed by the officials. After the game, the league said that the referees made the right calls regarding the crucial plays in the last moments of the fourth quarter.
The league on Wednesday released its L2M (Last Two Minute) Report, which said the officials made three wrong calls. However, those calls have turned out to be all against the Suns.
According to the report, a foul on Grayson Allen was missed during the final period at 1:34. The second foul happened 44 seconds into the clock; that would've been Kevin Durant's sixth foul. The final foul happened with 43.1 seconds left when Jusuf Nurkic made contact while Anthony Davis tried to attempt a shot.
Suns fans were surprised in the fourth quarter after the Lakers were able to call a timeout while Austin Reaves struggled to handle the ball. When asked after the game why Los Angeles was able to take a timeout during the sequence, crew chief Josh Tiven said:
"During live play, the official felt that LA still had possession of the ball when LeBron James requested the timeout. Through postgame video review in slow motion replay, we did see that Austin Reaves had his left hand on the ball while it's pinned against his left leg, which does constitute control."
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NBA legend believes that Brandon Ingram will perform well against the LA Lakers
The LA Lakers have advanced to the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament after beating the Suns. They'll play the New Orleans Pelicans, headlined by Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson. Ingram used to play for the Lakers, and Charles Barkley thinks he'll do well against his former team.
"We're getting the best end of that deal because we get LeBron and AD against Zion and Brandon Ingram," Barkley said. "You know what Brandon Ingram is thinking, 'You Mofos traded me.' I'm telling you, man, he's gonna be ready. So, I cannot wait for both games.
"When you get traded, the first thing you do is look, 'When do we play them dudes?' And now they gon' have the whole basketball world watching that game. It's gonna be fun."
Ingram started his career with the Lakers after he was drafted by the team with the second pick in 2016. He was traded in 2019 in exchange for Davis and has been with the Pelicans ever since.
Also read: NBA In-Season Tournament Odds: LA Lakers snubbed as favorites as 4 teams remain