L2M report: 2 missed fouls rob Heat of chance to beat Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers committed two fouls that officials missed during the final 4.2 seconds of regulation on Friday, costing the Miami Heat a chance to extend their perfect home record to 12-0.
With the Heat trailing by three points, Jimmy Butler and LeBron James collided as the former was attempting to separate himself and catch an inbound pass from Kelly Olynyk.
No foul was called on the play, but upon further review, the NBA's last-two-minute report determined James was "late to the spot," and he initiated contact with Butler that affected the forward's freedom of movement. Since both teams were already in the bonus, the Heat should have been awarded two free throws and possession.
Instead, Butler recovered to catch Olynyk's inbound pass after the non-call, and he was still able to hoist a potential game-tying trey with under three seconds remaining. The shot missed, handing the Lakers a 103-100 win.
However, the league later ruled the Heat's prized free-agent acquisition should have gone to the charity stripe for three free throws and a chance to force overtime because Anthony Davis made contact with him on his shot attempt.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra wouldn't have been able to use his coach's challenge to dispute the non-calls because the league only permits challenges on calls that are actually made, as the South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman noted.
The win improved the Lakers' record to 23-3, tying them with the Milwaukee Bucks atop the league. Meanwhile, the Heat dropped to 18-7.