Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James thought it was strange that his 3-point shot, which would have reduced the Golden State Warriors lead to just four with 1:50 remaining, was nullified.
He told reporters, “I’ve never seen that be called before like that in that particular time. That was kind of strange.” Crew chief David Guthrie clarified why the shot was disallowed in the pool report.He stated in the pool report, “James’ left foot is out of bounds as he begins to shoot. Yes, it is reviewable at that time. The rule is Rule 13, Section II(f)(3): Whether the shooter committed a boundary line violation, the replay center official will only look at the position of the player’s feet at the moment they touch the floor immediately prior to the release of the shot. This can be applied during other replay triggers as well.”
However, James disagreed with the game official’s explanation.
“I didn’t believe I stepped in the line,” James told reporters. “Obviously, I knew how much space I had over there and when I shoot, I shoot on my tippy toe. So it’s kind of hard for me to have a heel down. Probably after I shoot, I was gonna land. But it is what it is.” The overruled 3-point shot and the multiple game stoppages caused by a malfunctioning shot clock at Crypto.com Arena disrupted the Lakers' momentum as the Warriors secured a 128-121 victory on Saturday, March 16.The defeat allowed the Warriors to tie with them in ninth place in the Western Conference with only 14 games remaining in their regular-season schedule.
LeBron James’ Costly Turnover
When the game finally resumed after the 20-minute delay, instead of chasing just a four-point lead, the Lakers faced a seven-point deficit.
With their rhythm interrupted, James turned the ball over.
Warriors superstar
Stephen Curry
stole the ball from him, leading to a Jonathan Kuminga dunk that extended the Warriors’ lead to 126-117.
“It was just stay loose as much as we could,” James told reporters. “It was a lengthy pause of the game and we had a play, a set that was called, and whenever the game was resumed we tried to execute that. Unfortunately, I turned the ball over.”
Anthony Davis’ Absence Impacts Lakers Loss The costly turnover nullified James’ 40-point effort as he tried to carry the Lakers on his back after Anthony Davis
departed late in the first quarter with a contused eye.
“When you’ve been preparing for a couple of days and you lose a key component to your team in one quarter, we tried to pick it up, but obviously, there some things we can’t do without AD,” James told reporters about Davis leaving the game early.
Warriors rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis accidentally poked Davis’ eye. Without Davis, the Lakers became vulnerable inside the paint. The Warriors took full advantage, outrebounding the Lakers 45-39 and holding an 8-point edge in points in the paint (62-54).
Davis ended up with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block in nearly no-relief duty in the first quarter. He left the game with just three seconds left in the first quarter with the Lakers holding a 36-30 lead.
Learn why LeBron James found the decision on his rejected 3-point shot in Lakers vs. Warriors game to be odd.
Without Davis, the Lakers became vulnerable inside the paint.
The Warriors took full advantage. They outrebounded the Lakers 45-39 and held an 8-point edge in points in the paint (62-54).
Davis wound up with 8 points, 4 rebounds 2 assists and 1 block in nearly no-relief job in the opening quarter. He exited the game with only three seconds left in the first quarter and the Lakers holding a 36-30 lead.
