The NBA acknowledged Thursday that officials erred at the end of the Pelicans–Mavericks game the previous night by not calling goaltending on what would have been a go-ahead bucket for Dallas.
The no-call was a point of contention for the Mavericks, with coach Jason Kidd saying after the game, “It cost us maybe the game.”
With 15 seconds remaining and Dallas trailing 117-116, P.J. Washington got a steal near midcourt and the Mavs pushed the ball in transition. Spencer Dinwiddie received a pass as he moved toward the basket and went up for a potential go-ahead layup as Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III trailed. The ball appeared to hit the glass before Murphy touched it, but the Mavs were out of timeouts and could not challenge.
Dinwiddie disagreed with the non-call, saying he deliberately put the ball off the backboard so the shot couldn’t be blocked.
The NBA concurred, saying via its Last Two Minute Report that Murphy III blocked the shot attempt after the ball made contact with the backboard and had a chance to go in.
New Orleans ended up winning 119-116 after Murphy made two free throws with 1 second left.
The Mavericks had the option to appeal the loss, but general manager Nico Harrison told 96.7 The Ticket earlier Thursday that the team opted not to go that route.
“You can do an appeal but if you do it, you have to spend some money,” Harrison said. “It might make you feel good, but it’s not going to change the outcome. Refs make mistakes. It’s frustrating. … It is what it is. You have to move on to the next game.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.