The Denver Nuggets lost a tough game against the Los Angeles Lakers in overtime, but it looks like some things should have been different near the end of regulation. Austin Reaves went to the free-throw line a few times with seconds remaining in the game, but the first time he went, it was Spencer Jones who drew the foul.
The next day, the last two-minute report stated that Reaves was not supposed to go to the free-throw line.
“The Last Two Minutes Report for Lakers-Nuggets determined that Austin Reaves should not have been awarded two free throws with 9.2 seconds remaining in regulation, ruling that Spencer Jones had a clean strip,” ESPN's Dave McMenamin wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
That would have changed a lot for the Nuggets, and they could have had a chance to extend their lead. Instead, Reaves knocked down both of the free throws, and then went to the line again later after getting fouled. That's what led to his miss that helped him get the ball back and shoot the floater, which tied the game and sent it into overtime.
The Nuggets lost the game to a Luka Doncic game-winner, and now they don't have the tiebreaker against the Lakers. That means a lot for the standings, especially since everybody is tight in the Western Conference.
The Nuggets still have enough time to make up some ground, but they're going to need to start stacking wins before other teams catch up and leave them behind.
At the same time, no matter where the Nuggets finish, they will be a tough matchup for anybody, just off the strength of Nikola Jokic and his dominance.
