The Golden State Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 128-121 on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, but the
game’s strange conclusion was marred by a 23-minute delay that resulted from a faulty shot clock and a contentious
call that disregarded a LeBron James three-pointer.
With under two minutes to go and the Lakers down the Warriors by just four points, it appeared as though the most
recent installment of their rivalry would come to an exciting end.
With 1:50 left, the Lakers were down seven points after James’ three-pointer was ruled to have been out of bounds by
officials after he had made it.
The officials eventually determined that the arena PA speaker would tell the time remaining on the clock at five-
second intervals in real-time after multiple attempts to restart the game and correct the malfunctioning shot clock.
James remarked afterwards, “I’ve never seen that be called before like that – in that particular time,” according to
ESPN. That seemed a little strange. It hindered us somewhat in our momentum.
In an attempt to lead his team to victory in the absence of Anthony Davis, who had left the game due to an injury
after the first quarter, he ended the game with 40 points, matching his season high, nine assists, and eight rebounds.
Steph Curry, James’ longstanding nemesis, returned to the court after missing three games due to a sprained right
ankle and scored 31 points for the Warriors. Klay Thompson finished the game with 26 points off the bench.
“The conclusion was strange.” After the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr informed reporters. You appear to
experience clock problems a few times a year. That’s about as severe a situation when the backup unit also fails as
I’ve ever encountered. It’s unfortunate; I felt sorry for the supporters.It was a fantastic game, and in the final two
minutes, everyone is just sort of staring at each other, not sure what to do.
Even when the Lakers lost Davis and his defensive acumen, the game remained perfectly balanced, giving the
Warriors additional opportunities to attack in the paint and score points there.
However, Kerr claimed in the aftermath that the contest of James’ three-point shot broke up the “flow” of the game
and that he would “love to see that rule go away.”
“We’re working extremely hard to ensure everything is flawless, even at the cost of flow. Does it really matter if the
man’s foot is half an inch (over) if you can go back 45 seconds and make all the changes?
Though it was “unfortunate what happened,” James supported the judgment, saying that the referees “have a job to
perform, and they have to do it the best they can.”
