The NBA acknowledged Thursday in its Last Two Minute Report that officials made a mistake at the end of the Mavericks-Pelicans game on Wednesday night by not calling goaltending on what would have been a go-ahead bucket for Dallas.
Dallas Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie would have had the go-ahead layup against the New Orleans Pelicans
The no-call especially frustrated Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, who said the play “cost us maybe the game.” With 15 seconds left 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. However, the Mavs were out of timeouts and could not challenge.
BLOCKED AWAY BY TREY!!! pic.twitter.com/2s9twzZ93Y
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 16, 2025
Dinwiddie disagreed with the non-call, saying he deliberately put the ball off the backboard so the shot couldn’t be blocked. The NBA said in 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.
Defensive goaltending should have been called.
Mavs general manager Nico Harrison said a formal protest with the NBA would not have changed the outcome of the game
Following the controversial play, 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 a formal protest would not have changed the outcome.
“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.”
Daniel Gafford scored a career-high 27 points on 12-of-13 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds for Dallas, which played without top two scorers Luka Doncic (left calf) and Kyrie Irving (back), along with starting center Dereck Lively (right ankle).
Jaden Hardy scored 21 points and Dinwiddie finished with 20 points for Dallas. The Mavericks (22-19), who have lost three straight and eight of 10, host the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder (33-6) on Friday.
