The alleged referee error that gifted the Warriors 2 free points against the Mavericks, explained

NBA officials have had a very rough go of things over the last few weeks and Wednesday’s matchup between the Mavericks and Warriors won’t change that.

This game could very well decide whether one of these two teams actually makes the playoffs or not. And what seems like a crucial call — or non-call — from the officials is right in the center of it.

That’s why Mark Cuban is so upset about what looked to be an officiating blunder that gifted the Warriors two free points at the end of the 3rd quarter.

Toward the end of the 3rd quarter, there was a sequence after a dead ball and a timeout where the Mavericks thought it was actually their ball. They lined up on the other end of the floor thinking the ball was advanced to their basket.

But officials ruled that the Warriors actually possessed the ball. They inbounded it underneath their own basket and Kevon Looney got two free points without any resistance.

Count it

@NBCSAuthentic pic.twitter.com/VibZ3CliZU

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 23, 2023

Mark Cuban was absolutely furious after this play. He called it the “worst officiating non-call mistake” in league history.

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

That’s probably a bit of hyperbole, especially since it’s not actually clear that the officiating crew actually got the call wrong. It actually just seems like the Mavericks weren’t paying much attention to the situation or the time.

Let’s dive into it.