Mavericks protest two-point loss to Warriors, claiming Golden State got a free basket

Dallas Mavericks filed a formal protest with the NBA, saying the referees made a mistake that resulted in the Golden State Warriors getting a free basket – the Mavs lost 127-125.

After a timeout in the third quarter, the Mavericks thought they had the ball, so five players on the court moved to one side of the court. However, in reality it was Ball Golden State.

With the two teams on opposite ends of the court, the referee passed the ball to the Warriors’ Jordan Pool, who flew under his basket with no Maverick around them.

Poole hit a pass to Kevon Looney, who dunked the ball with no problem.

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#77 Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks dribbles against #30 Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors on March 22, 2023 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

#77 Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks dribbles against #30 Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors on March 22, 2023 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. ((Photo by Cooper Neal/NBAE via Getty Images))

According to Mavs owner Mark Cuban, the judges changed the original decision without notifying his team.

“For those who are interested in playing from 1:54 to the 3rd, let me explain what happened.” – Cuban tweet after game. “The referee called the Mavs ball. The announcer announced it. Then there was a timeout. During the timeout, the referee changed the call and didn’t tell us anything. ball to the soldiers. Never said a word to us. They got easy basketball. Crazy that it would matter in a two-point game. Worst non-announcement refereeing mistake possibly in NBA history. All they had to do was tell us and they didn’t.”

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban during a press conference after Luka Doncic signed a contract extension.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban during a press conference after Luka Doncic signed a contract extension. (REUTERS/Borut Zivulovich)

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However, the referee says otherwise.

Before the timeout, the Warriors missed a three-pointer, and when the ball went out of bounds, the referee ruled that it was still a Warriors ball.

Shortly thereafter, the same referee pointed to the other side of the court.

However, this moment was supposed to signal a Dallas timeout, not a Dallas ball.

“Originally on the court, the original signal was actually a Golden State ball, as you can see in the video. There is a second signal, but it is a mandatory timeout signal, which was due to the Mavs.” Referee Sean Wright announced this.

In assuming this to be the case, Dallas was simply wrong.

Luka Doncic shared his dissatisfaction towards the end of the game, making it clear that referees were being paid.

This is the 35th protest in NBA history and only eight have been successful, none since 2008.

Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks and #11 Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors battle it out for a first-half seat at the American Airlines Center on March 22, 2023 in Dallas, Texas.

Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks and #11 Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors battle it out for a first-half seat at the American Airlines Center on March 22, 2023 in Dallas, Texas.

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The Mavs took a 117–115 lead with 3:52 left, but Golden State pulled off late to take the road victory.

The two teams were separated by half a game in a playoff race that started on Wednesday. With this victory, the Warriors are currently in sixth place, and the Mavs are in ninth, requiring play-in tournament participation – the top six automatically qualify for the playoffs.