The Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night was a strange affair. Not only were the Grizzlies missing 13 players, but the game itself went a little longer than expected.
Most fans were focused on the close contest, as the Lakers edged out the shorthanded Grizzlies 123-120. However, one keen-eyed viewer, Ramiro Bentes, noticed that the two teams played more time in the third quarter than they should have. He shared his observation on Twitter.
“Just realized the Lakers and Grizzlies played 13:06 minutes in the 3rd quarter last night. When the shot clock was supposed to be reset at 1:14, the game clock was also accidentally reset to 2:20. No one noticed and they played the rest of the way with the new game clock.”
Just realized the Lakers and Grizzlies played 13:06 minutes in the 3rd quarter last night. When the shot clock was supposed to be reset at 1:14, the game clock was also accidentally reset to 2:20. No one noticed and they played the rest of the way with the new game clock. pic.twitter.com/oeEE0F7f3C
— Ramiro Bentes (@NbaInRstats) April 13, 2024
His finding proved accurate, as an NBA spokesperson later confirmed the Lakers and Grizzlies indeed played an additional 1 minute and 6 seconds. During this extra time, both teams scored two points apiece, with Anthony Davis making a shot for the Lakers and Jordan Goodwin for the Grizzlies.
“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,” Tim Frank, a spokesman for the NBA, said in a statement to the Commercial Appeal. “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.”
