LeBron James was not happy with the officiating in the final minutes of the Warriors' 128-121 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.
With Golden State leading 124-117 with 2:12 remaining in the fourth quarter, James, guarded by Steph Curry, made an off-balance 3-pointer in the corner to bring Los Angeles within four points.
However, after review, officials determined James just barely stepped out of bounds and wiped off the clutch basket.
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The image on the left is from a game-tying 3-pointer James made in the final seconds of the Lakers' loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier this season where his basket was downgraded to a regular field goal, resulting in a one-point loss. The image on the right is from Saturday's loss to the Warriors. Was his foot on the line? You be the judge:
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In speaking to reporters after the game, James was asked about the call and was adamant he did not step on the line.
"Oh yeah, it was good momentum, obviously," James said. "I've never seen that be called before like that in that particular time. That was kind of weird, but it took some momentum away from us.
"I didn't believe I stepped on the line, obviously. I knew how much space I had over there and when I shoot I shoot on my tippy toes so it's kind of hard for me to have a heel down ... it is what it is."
The controversial call was not the only momentum-killing stoppage. A bizarre shot-clock malfunction with 1:42 remaining in the game created lengthy delays before Golden State eventually pulled away with the victory.
The Warriors jumped ahead of the Lakers for the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference standings with their nail-biting win on Saturday, and with both teams battling for playoff seeding, every win matters and this one certainly had its fair share of controversy.
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