NBA admits just one mistake in Last Two Minute Report of Lakers-Nuggets Game 2

According to the NBA, the final two minutes of Lakers-Nuggets had just one officiating mistake, and it’s not the one you think.

While good in practice, the NBA’s Last Two Minute Reports typically do little more than reopen old wounds. At best, they confirm the mistakes fans already saw happen. At worst, they tell you those mistakes didn’t actually take place.

In the aftermath of Game 2 for the Lakers and Nuggets, it’s a lot more of the latter.

Officials took center stage in the contest, largely because the Lakers put them there postgame. Frustrations boiled within the team over missed calls, non-calls and overturned calls alike, and their postgame pressers touched on those perceived mistakes.

But the league’s Last Two Minute Report doesn’t support their claims. Officially, the NBA only admitted one error in the contest, that coming at the 2:04 mark when Nikola Jokic should have been called for defensive three seconds.

That’s it. That’s the only mistake the officials made in the final two minutes.

When Jamal Murray drove to the rim with just under a minute remaining and a foul was called on LeBron that many wanted head coach Darvin Ham to challenge? The league determined that was a correctly called foul with the following explanation:

“James (LAL) extends his forearm out and initiates contact with Murray’s (DEN) front, which affects his SQBR (Speed, Quickness, Balance, Rhythm) at the end of the drive. The illegal contact occurs prior to Murray’s gather and a non-shooting foul is correctly assessed.”

And on the very next possession when LeBron drove to the basket for a bucket before jumping up and down pleading for a foul, that contact was determined to be marginal by the NBA:

“Caldwell-Pope (DEN) brushes James’ (LAL) arm during the driving shot attempt, and the ensuing follow-through contact to James’ lower body is marginal.”

Marginal was the word of the night for the officials. When Michael Porter Jr. smacked D’Angelo Russell in the face in a foul call that was overturned — legitimately, I’m still trying to grasp how that happened — that contact was deemed marginal as well.

That play, obviously, did not come in the last two minutes of the game so there was no explanation as to how it was actually the right call as I’m sure the NBA would have ruled.

This doesn’t change the outcome of Monday’s game. It doesn’t make anyone feel better about it, either. But, to paraphrase LeBron, what’s the point of a Last Two Minute Report when it’s going to produce results like this?

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.