The Oklahoma City Thunder lost a crucial contest on Tuesday after a late comeback by the defending champion Golden State Warriors. While no singular play determined the outcome, a botched substitution arguably served as an inflection point in the game.

With the score tied at 115 midway through the fourth quarter, Stephen Curry sank a three-pointer to give the Warriors the lead. The Thunder lost the ball out of bounds on the ensuing possession, which should have allowed Jalen Williams to enter the game before the Warriors' offensive possession.

Williams, one of the Thunder's best wing defenders, was left to dry by the scorer's table as Golden State inbounded the ball without allowing the substitution to take place, and eventually led to an easy layup for Draymond Green as head coach Mark Daigneault blew up on the sidelines.

NBA crew chief Courtney Kirkland gave a statement following the game, claiming that an error was made on their part in not letting the Thunder make the sub.

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“We did not recognize that Jalen Williams was at the scorer’s table when the ball went out of bounds. He should have been allowed to come into the game, but we did not recognize that he was there. It was our error.”

The Warriors closed out the game on an 18-10 run following the missed substitution, completing their comeback in a game that the Thunder led for most of the way.

Oklahoma City still controls its own destiny when it comes to making the play-in tournament as they try to stave off the Dallas Mavericks. A win in Golden State would have gone a long way in punching their ticket to the postseason.