The NBA determined the officials made the correct call when granting LeBron James a timeout late with 7.4 seconds remaining in the Los Angeles Lakers' 106-103 win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.
"LAL is granted a timeout when Reaves (LAL) recovers the ball and pins it against his leg, before he loses it again," the league said in its official Last Two Minute Report.
The Suns had taken issue with the call on the floor because it looked like Austin Reaves had lost possession by the time James signaled for the timeout.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReportLakers got this timeout call on what seemed to be a loose ball 👀 <a href="">
Once play resumed, Phoenix had to foul Anthony Davis, who made one of his two free throws to extend Los Angeles' lead to three points. Kevin Durant's long-range attempt to force overtime as the buzzer sounded was well off the mark.
Adding to the Suns' frustrations, head coach Frank Vogel said after the game the referees told him the play wasn't reviewable
Ben Golliver @BenGolliverSuns coach Frank Vogel said referees told him they couldn't review Lakers' last timeout on Austin Reaves scramble. Vogel wanted inadvertent whistle & said call hurt worse because of tourney stakes. <br>"We were ready to tie the game up and that opportunity was taken away from us." <a href="">
Devin Booker made his opinion very clear while tempering his criticism of the officiating:
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport"The whole world seen it." 👀<br><br>-Devin Booker on Lakers timeout call <a href="">
Offering his take, Durant didn't think the timeout was the reason Phoenix lost.
"That's not the ballgame," he told reporters. "That's one play. It's a 48-minute game. I don't like to complain about calls. Sometimes the ref ain't going to get it right all the time. Sometimes it's on us to play through all that stuff and not worry about putting the game in the ref's hands."
Thanks to the inaugural In-Season Tournament, the timeout call carried an added significance. The Suns and Lakers were vying for a spot in the semifinals at Crypto.com Arena, with L.A. moving on to play the New Orleans Pelicans in the semifinals on Thursday in Las Vegas.
