The Nuggets’ series-clinching win over the Lakers in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Monday came down to the wire, as Nikola Jokić scored the game-winning basket with under a minute left. However, it appears as if those points shouldn’t have counted.
Jokić’s tiebreaking basket was scored after Denver was awarded possession of the ball by officials who ruled the Lakers had touched the ball last before it went out of bounds. On Thursday, the NBA admitted the call was incorrect, and the Nuggets’ Jamal Murray actually was the last player to touch the ball before it went out of bounds.
Initially, the refs ruled the ball out on Murray, but they changed the call after huddling together.
However, the sidelines out of bounds call with 56.7 seconds remaining when the possession was originally awarded to LAL, then switched to DEN leading to Nikola Jokic's game-winning bucket, was deemed an incorrect call. The ball went off Murray's hand, according to the L2M.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 25, 2023
The Lakers would have had the ball with 56.8 seconds left in a 111-111 game against the top-seeded Nuggets. Instead, Jokic scored, and Los Angeles got the ball back while trailing by two with 51.7 seconds left. Ultimately, Denver won, 113-111, after LeBron James missed a jump shot in the final seconds.
