NBA Admits Costly Officiating Error in Lakers vs Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets came up short to the LA Lakers over the weekend in a tight overtime battle, 125-127, that left a near-20-point comeback from Denver just a few plays away from transpiring fresh off of their previous comeback vs. the San Antonio Spurs.

However, if it weren’t for a critical mistake made on the officials’ end, there's a chance that things could've panned out differently for the Nuggets on Sunday in Los Angeles.

According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the Last Two Minutes Report from the Nuggets' game against the Lakers showed that Austin Reaves should not have been awarded two free throws with nine seconds left in the fourth quarter from a personal foul called on Spencer Jones; one that was deemed a clean strip upon further review.

The Last Two Minutes Report for Lakers-Nuggets determined that Austin Reaves should not have been awarded two free throws with 9.2 seconds remaining in regulation, ruling that Spencer Jones had a clean strip. pic.twitter.com/BtENE3kbCd
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 15, 2026

These free throws from Reaves, however, were not the same ones that would lead to the Lakers' intentional miss in the final seconds of the fourth quarter to extend the action to overtime.

Instead, the missed call from the officials would end up with the Lakers getting two shots at the line for Reaves that would keep the game within one score, rather than what would be LA likely intentionally fouling Denver with less than ten seconds to go for their chance to go up two scores.

The NBA L2M report says that this should not have been a foul on Spencer Jones pic.twitter.com/WbgqpQjacs
— Law Murray 🕯️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) March 15, 2026

That's a vital difference between the end result that transpired, which would ultimately unravel into a wild extra five minutes of overtime, and thus, another crunch-time loss for the Nuggets.

A Brutal Ending for Nuggets' Spencer Jones

The missed call, if called correctly, would also make for a much different result for what would happen to Denver forward Spencer Jones in particular, whose night would end rather poorly despite playing well in his 23 minutes on the floor.

If ruled a clean strip, the Nuggets' second-year wing might instead be the one being praised for a game-clinching stop on the defensive end for a statement win over LA.

Mar 14, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) shoots a game winning shot while under pressure from Denver Nuggets forward Spencer Jones (21) during overtime at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images

But rather, he would find himself on the opposing end of his second game-winning shot of the week, joining his lowlight from earlier in the week in Nuggets' previous loss to the OKC Thunder, sealed due to a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander last-second shot, that he would once again be on the other end for.

Spencer Jones is going through every hooper’s worst nightmare 💔😭 pic.twitter.com/f4oPbgSk7N
— Chalkboard (@ChalkboardHQ) March 15, 2026

It's a testament to Jones and the trust Denver's coaching staff has in him to keep him out on the floor for the defensive presence he can bring on some tough assignments in late-game situations like such. However, being on the other end of a couple of heartbreaking shots comes as part of the business.

Following the loss against LA, Denver now finds themselves 6-7 since the All-Star break, with five of those six losses to top-five teams in either conference.

It's a result against the Lakers that'll sting for the next couple of days until the Nuggets take the floor once again vs. the Philadelphia 76ers, but could be just the spark this team needs to get back to their regular dominant form headed into the final month of the regular season.