Lakers head coach JJ Redick was adamant that Luka Dončić got fouled when he tripped over Jaden McDaniels late in Sunday’s playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It turns out that the NBA agrees.
The NBA released its last-2-minute report from Sunday’s games on Monday. In it, the league determined that officials should have called a foul on McDaniels for tripping Dončić on the play in question.
“McDaniels (MIN) steps forward into Doncic’s (LAL) path, initiating illegal foot contact that causes him to lose his balance,” the report reads.
Here’s the play. With Minnesota leading, 114-113 and 39.5 seconds remaining, the Lakers inbounded the ball under their own basket. Dončić dribbled the ball upcourt with McDaniels guarding him.
Before Dončić reached halfcourt, McDaniels stuck out his right foot, and Dončić tripped over it. Dončić called a timeout after he hit the floor. No foul was called.
The Lakers were awarded a timeout with 17 seconds left on the shot clock and at risk of a shot-clock violation with the ball still in the backcourt. LeBron James threw a bad pass on the ensuing inbounds play that McDaniels intercepted.
The end result of the possession was a Lakers turnover, and Los Angeles didn’t score again in Minnesota’s 116-113 win. A correct call of a foul would have put Dončić on the line for two free throws and a chance to give the lakers a 115-114 lead.
Luka Dončić and the Lakers are on the brink of first-round elimination after Sunday’s loss to the Timberwolves. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Redick blasts non-call
Here’s what Redick had to say about the non-call after the game:
“Luka got tripped,” Redick said. “That was a blatant trip. He doesn’t just fall on his own. We watched it. He gets tripped. So we should have been at the free-throw line.
“It’s not an excuse for why we lost. But he got fouled.”
The Timberwolves now have a 3-1 series lead.
NBA: Officials got late LeBron foul right
The NBA agreed with another pivotal late call from Sunday’s game. James fouled Anthony Edwards as Edwards drove to the basket with 10.1 seconds remaining. Officials initially ruled that there was no foul on the play and that Edwards turned the ball over when it went out of bounds.
But the Timberwolves challenged, and officials correctly assessed on replay review that James made contact with Edwards’ wrist when Edwards lost control of the ball and out of bounds.
James was assessed with a foul, and Edwards hit two free throws to secure the game’s final margin.
Here’s the last-2-minute report language on that foul:
“Replay review of the out of bounds call pursuant to a coach’s challenge was deemed successful. James (LAL) makes illegal contact to Edwards’ (MIN) left wrist and the foul is proximate to the ball going out of bounds. Play resumes with Edwards receiving two free throws.
The Timberwolves now have three chances to close the Lakers out and send Dončić, James and Redick to a first-round playoff exit. Their first chance will come in Game 5 in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
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