Report: Mavs to file protest of Warriors loss due to alleged ref mistake
The Dallas Mavericks plan to file to the NBA a formal protest of their 127-125 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday due to an alleged mistake by referees that led to the Warriors getting an easy basket in the third quarter, a source told Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The play in question saw Golden State's Kevon Looney get an open dunk after the Mavericks believed they had possession coming out of a timeout and were waiting on the other side of the court.
Mavs defend the wrong basket, Warriors get a free bucket 😅 pic.twitter.com/XaxKxI3dpG
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 23, 2023
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban posted on Twitter following the game, saying that the referee originally ruled the Mavericks had possession but changed it during the timeout, without telling Dallas' players.
For those wondering about the play with 1:54 to go on the 3rd, let me explain what happened. The ref called Mavs ball . The announcer announced it. Then there was a timeout . During the time out the official changed the call and never told us. Then when they saw us line up as…
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) March 23, 2023
Crew chief Sean Wright said in the NBA's Pool Report following the game that the call originally ruled possession to the Warriors.
"Initially on the floor the original signal was in fact Golden State ball as this can be seen on video," Wright said. "There is a second signal but that signal is for a mandatory timeout that was due to the Mavs."
The Warriors led 127-122 in the final seconds before Mavericks forward Reggie Bullock made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the margin to two points.