NBA Admits Missed Call in Final Seconds of Clippers vs. Mavericks

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The LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks played a close game on Tuesday night, and while Dallas jumped out to a 25-point lead in the first half, the Clippers eventually took the lead late in the game. Unable to hold on, the Clippers would surrender their brief lead, and the comeback effort went to waste. That said, it was encouraging fight from a Clippers group that was once again without Kawhi Leonard, and they had a real chance to win late.
With the Clippers down three, Nicolas Batum stepped to the free throw line in the final seconds of the game. With no time to continue playing the foul game, Batum was forced to make the first free throw and intentionally miss the second. He executed the intentional miss perfectly, but Robert Covington fumbled the rebound out of bounds, and the Clippers lost the game.
While a lot of attention has been placed on the mishandle by Covington, the officials actually missed a lane violation on Marcus Morris, which would have nullified any put-back effort had it been called. Fortunately for Dallas, it did not matter; however, the league's last two minute report did admit that Morris should have been whistled for a lane violation on that play.
The Clippers and Mavericks always find a way to play exciting matchups, and this game was certainly no exception.
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Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.
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