Kings 'still feel strongly there was significant error' after protest denied

The NBA's denial of a Sacramento Kings protest was apparently not the last word on the matter.

The Kings had protested the end of their Nov. 13 game against the Memphis Grizzlies, arguing that Courtney Lee didn't get his game-winning shot off in time. The league denied the protest on Friday, with a statement you can read in the story below.

Obviously, the Kings are unhappy with the outcome of both the game and the protest.

"The referees had a duty to count frames on the replay and they didn't," a Kings source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports on Friday. "We felt and still feel strongly that there was significant error in this decision."

Each team would have submitted evidence to the league office as part of the protest process, but the league clearly deemed the Kings' case short of convincing. The Kings may have argued not only that Lee held the ball too long before releasing, but also that center Ryan Hollins tipped the inbound pass, which would have made the shot moot.

"I hit the ball," Hollins said. "No question about it."

Unfortunately, the Kings have no recourse from here. As much as it's just one game, this is the Western Conference, where a 48-win team missed the playoffs a year ago. The Kings sitting at 10-6 instead of 9-7 would be a lot more comfortable with a playoff spot the ultimate goal.