Mega excitement at the highly unfortunate 125:127 defeat of the Dallas Mavericks for the German Maxi Klebers (4 points) against the Golden State Warriors.
Before the eyes of NBA icon Dirk Nowitzki, the referees had caused discussions and plenty of fuss with a misleading whistle. The Dallas pros assumed they had been awarded the ball just before the end of the third quarter.
However, they lined up on the wrong side of the field after a timeout – and the Warriors were free to score a basket on the other side. “Worst non-call mistake in NBA history,” Mavs owner Mark Cuban tweeted afterwards.
The alleged change in the decision by the referees without communicating them enraged the team owner: “The referee decided on the ball for the Mavs. The announcer announced it. Then there was a time-out. During the time-out the referee changed the decision and didn’t tell us.”
Once in motion, Cuban followed suit and used a screenshot to emphasize again how absurd the scene and the decision of the refs was: “There were only two referees on the other side of the field and we had two guys in the middle of the field who put the ball in play. The other referee obviously thought it was our ball too.”
Dallas Mavericks appeal referee decision
Even 30 points from Luca Doncic weren’t enough for Dallas to win in the end. The Mavericks sit ninth in the West with 36 wins and 37 losses. Sixth, and thus in the position that still guarantees direct entry into the play-offs, is Golden State of all places with 38 successes. The Los Angeles Lakers (also 36 wins) are tenth and would just about qualify for the pre-playoffs.
However, the team will protest the game’s scoring. Cuban has already confirmed this to “ESPN”. However, the chances of success are slim, as protests from the past show.
What makes it even more difficult: Main referee Sean Wright subsequently contradicted and classified the allegations of the angry Mavs actors: According to this, the referees immediately decided on the ball for Golden State and did not change their call as shown by the Mavs.
Wright clarified, “There was a second sign, but this was for the Mavs timeout.”
Yes Morant celebrates return from suspension
Meanwhile, Ja Morant celebrated his return to the court. The Memphis Grizzlies point guard, who waved a gun in a live video on Instagram on March 4 and was subsequently suspended for eight games, led his team to a 130-125 win against the Houston Rockets. Morant had 17 points, four rebounds and five assists. Memphis remains in second place in the West.
“I did some meditation before the game to ease my nervousness and emotions,” Morant said. “Coming out on the field and just seeing the fans’ reaction to my return meant a lot to me, I felt good inside . I can’t put it into words.”
At least a DBB player had reason to be happy. National team captain Dennis Schröder (13 points) won with the Lakers against the Phoenix Suns 122:111 and can continue to hope for direct play-off entry in the NBA.
