Lakers played extra time against Grizzlies because of clock error
NEW ORLEANS — The Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies actually played more than 13 minutes in the third quarter Friday because of a clock error that went unnoticed.
“We have confirmed that the game clock was inaccurately set in the third quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers-Memphis Grizzlies game last night at FedExForum,” an NBA spokesperson said Saturday in a statement. “After a shot clock violation, the clock was set at 2:20 when it should have been at 1:14. The error was not noticed in real time by the teams, the referees, the game clock operator or the stats crew. While unfortunate, the error was not identified in time to resolve the situation in-game.”
The error surfaced on social media Saturday afternoon.
After defeating the Grizzlies on Friday while the Kings and Warriors lost, the Lakers can escape the 9-10 play-in game with a win Sunday in New Orleans.
The quirk comes at the end of a season in which the Lakers get ready to play their final regular-season game Sunday — while already having played 82 games. The Lakers, by playing in the finals of the in-season tournament, played an extra game that didn’t count in the standings.
The Lakers can secure the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference on Sunday with a win at New Orleans and would face either the Pelicans or Phoenix in the play-in tournament depending on the result of the Suns’ finale against the Timberwolves.
The Sacramento-Portland and Golden State-Utah games could impact the Lakers’ seeding in the play-in tournament should they lose in New Orleans.
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