LeBron James was fouled by Christian Wood on game-winning attempt Thursday, says Last Two Minute Report

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LeBron James was fouled by Christian Wood on game-winning attempt Thursday, says Last Two Minute Report

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The Los Angeles Lakers made it clear after Thursday’s 119-115 doubleheader loss to the Dallas Mavericks that they didn’t agree with the way the game was officiated. At the end of regulation, Lakers wing Troy Brown Jr. was apparently fouled on a game-winning 3-point attempt, but no whistle came.

“It was clear as day that it was a foul,” coach Darwin Ham said after the game. LeBron James was even more adamant and made it known when he wasn’t even being interviewed. “That’s a foul,” he said when reporters asked Brown about the play. On Friday, the NBA released its Final Two-Minute Report for the game and stood by the call, which the official classified as high-five contact.

However, officials determined that another call was critically missed that likely would have changed the outcome of the game. With the score tied at 108 at the end of the first over, James attempted a game-winning layup that was blocked by Christian Wood. There was no call on the floor. However, the report indicates that James should have received a whistle.

In the background of the show, you’ll notice one of the officials trip and fall backwards onto a cameraman. It is not clear whether or not this affected his ability to call a foul.

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Of course, the Lakers weren’t the only team to express frustrations with the officials. Even Mavericks owner Mark Cuban took to Twitter about the lack of calls Luka Doncic received. The report agreed, finding four incorrect calls that went against the Mavericks. They are as follows:

Wenyen Gabriel should have been called for an offensive foul on Christian Wood with approximately 1:39 left in regulation. it wasn’t called with 42 seconds left in regulation, even though the Mavericks ended up winning the ball anyway. James should have been called for an offensive foul on Spencer Dinwiddie with 1:47 left in the second overtime.

This report only covers the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and any overtime periods. The truth of the game is that officiating was a problem long before it got to that point. At no point did the officials manage to take control of the game and curb the physicality. The result was a slower one that left both sides unhappy with the whistle.

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