In this file photo taken on March 22, 2023, Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks looks to pass while defended by JaMychal Green of the Golden State Warriors in the second half at American Airlines Center. (Getty Images/AFP)
NEW YORK – The NBA has denied the Dallas Mavericks’ protest of their March 22 loss to the Golden State Warriors while acknowledging game officials could have done better.
The Mavs protested the outcome of the contest, claiming officials failed to properly administer an out-of-bounds call with about two minutes left in the third quarter of the Warriors’ 127-125 victory.
Confusion over possession — after Dallas came onto the court after a timeout and set up under the wrong side of the court — left Golden State free for an uncontested dunk.
The league acknowledged on Thursday that officials “could have taken steps to better manage this particular situation on the play in question.”
However, the league noted that the incident occurred with nearly 14 minutes remaining in the game “and Dallas thereafter took the lead twice in the final four minutes.
“Under these circumstances, Dallas was not able to show — as required under the standard for NBA game protests — that it was deprived of a fair opportunity to win the game, and the protest failed on that basis alone.”