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Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets reacts to a foul during the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Denver Nuggets nearly secured a statement road victory Saturday night.
Instead, the NBA acknowledged Sunday that a missed call in the final seconds helped the Los Angeles Lakers erase Denver’s lead and ultimately win 127–125 in overtime.
In its Last Two Minute Report, the league confirmed that a critical foul called against Nuggets forward Spencer Jones should not have been whistled.
With 9.2 seconds remaining in regulation and Denver leading 116–113, Jones stripped the ball from Austin Reaves immediately after the inbound pass.
Officials ruled the play a foul.
But the NBA later determined it was a clean defensive play.
“Jones extends his right hand and cleanly dislodges the ball away from Reaves,” the league wrote in the review.
Call Changed End of Regulation
Instead of awarding Denver possession after the strip, Reaves went to the free-throw line.
The sequence that followed dramatically altered the game.
Reaves made the first free throw before the Nuggets intentionally fouled again to prevent a tying three-pointer.
Moments later, Reaves executed a difficult maneuver — intentionally missing the second free throw, grabbing the rebound and floating in the tying basket with 1.9 seconds left.
The shot stunned Denver and forced overtime.
“I thought if I threw it fast enough, Jokic wouldn’t have time to react,” Reaves said.
Nuggets Recognize Difficulty of Play
Even with the officiating error acknowledged, Denver players still acknowledged the difficulty of the play itself.
“He’s a skilled player,” said Aaron Gordon. “Tip your cap.”
Nuggets coach David Adelman described the execution as rare.
“That’s one in a hundred in the NBA,” Adelman said.
Nikola Jokić said the rebound bounce was critical.
“He got a perfect bounce,” Jokić said. “He made the floater.”
Dončić Delivers Lakers Win
The extra period belonged to Luka Dončić.
Dončić hit a 17-foot fall-away jumper with 0.5 seconds remaining in overtime, sealing the victory.
The Lakers star finished with 30 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, recording his eighth triple-double of the season.
Despite the loss, Jokić delivered another standout performance with 24 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists, recording his 27th triple-double of the season. Aaron Gordon paced the Nuggets with 27 points, and Tim Hardaway Jr. contributed 20.
Meanwhile, Jamal Murray endured a difficult night offensively, finishing with five points, six rebounds and six assists while shooting 1-of-14 from the field before fouling out 31 seconds into overtime.
Nuggets’ Loss Impacts Western Conference Race
The defeat carried significant consequences for Denver’s position in the standings.
The Nuggets dropped to 41–27, leaving them 1.5 games behind the Lakers, who improved to 42–25 and moved into third place in the Western Conference.
With the playoff race tightening, the game could loom large in determining seeding.
Officiating Error Lingers
The NBA’s acknowledgment of the missed call adds an unavoidable question to the final result.
Had Jones’ strip been ruled correctly, Denver likely would have had possession with a chance to close out the game.
Instead, the Lakers seized the opportunity created by the whistle and completed a comeback that may carry major postseason implications.
Alder Almo is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 20 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo
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