Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had some choice words for the officials after the Warriors' 127-125 win over Dallas on Wednesday at American Airlines Center.
With 1:54 remaining in the third quarter and the game tied 87-87, the Mavericks were caught off guard when they lined up on the wrong end of the floor after a timeout, leading to a dunk from Warriors center Kevon Looney and a very confused Dallas team.
Before the odd play, the Mavericks had called timeout after the ball went out of bounds off Dallas forward Justin Holliday, giving the Warriors the ball. The only problem was that the Mavericks appeared to have forgotten it was the Warriors' ball.
However, Cuban clarified what happened on Twitter, claiming the officials changed their original call and never told Dallas.
Shortly after the game, The Athletic's Tim Cato spoke crew chief Sean Wright, who clarified what happened on the strange sequence.
"Initially on the floor the original signal was in fact Golden State ball as this can be seen on video," Wright told Cato. "There is a second signal but that signal is for a mandatory timeout that was due to the Mavs."
As can be seen in this video, the referee initially signals that possession belongs to the Warriors and when he signals for a Mavericks timeout, confusion ensues. He then gestures that the ball in fact belongs to Golden State.
The Athletic's Shams Charania reported immediately after the game, citing a source, that the Mavericks plan on protesting the game because of the third-quarter sequence.
The game had major implications for both the Warriors and the Mavericks, who are fighting for a spot in the NBA playoffs and were separated by half a game in the standings prior to Wednesday night's clash.
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Golden State Warriors
Ultimately, the Warriors came away with the two-point victory, winning their second straight game on the road and a key matchup against a Western Conference opponent.