The NBA’s Last Two Minute Report (L2M) for the Los Angeles Lakers game on Friday night resulted in an incorrect call affecting LeBron James and conceivably cost the Lakers a victory.
The L2M looks at officials’ calls during the last two minutes of close games. In this particular case, the Los Angeles Clippers ended up defeating the Lakers by a score of 105-102.
The particular non-call came with approximately 1:10 left in the fourth quarter and the Lakers clinging to a 100-99 advantage.
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James’ drive to the basket was blocked by the Clippers’ Marcus Morris, but Terance Mann’s contact with James’ elbow affected the shot. The L2M determined that Mann’s contact was “more than marginal” and presumably should have been whistled for a foul.
Instead, the Clippers gained possession, with Amir Coffey connecting on a pair of free throws with 1:05 left. While the Lakers briefly regained the lead on two free throws from Austin Reaves, the non-call turned out to be a four-point swing at a crucial point in the contest.
The loss dropped the Lakers to 27-32 on the season and was the latest bit of bad news to hit a team that had championship hopes when the season began.
With superstar forward Anthony Davis not expected back for at least a month or more, the Lakers are currently just trying to reach the postseason. Momentum is certainly not on the Lakers’ side, with 13 losses in their last 19 games.
The Lakers will look to shake off their struggles on Sunday night when they host the New Orleans Pelicans, who enter the game with a 24-36 record.
