It was not quite the 2002 Western Conference Finals, but the officials certainly made a difference during the Los Angeles Lakers-Sacramento Kings game on Tuesday.
The Kings were on the receiving end of a very bad call in the fourth quarter. Down five points in the closing seconds, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox got an opportunity for a rebound off a missed free throw by the Lakers but did not pick up the ball in an effort to save time. The clock incorrectly started back up though, and Fox pointed out the mistake to the referees. Upon huddling up, the referees, instead of awarding possession to Sacramento, decided to do a jump ball. Kings interim coach Alvin Gentry was furious (video here).
Perhaps even more furious were certain sports bettors. The Lakers were -6.5 favorites in the contest. It was close throughout, and the Lakers were even trailing for much of it. However, the jump ball, which the Lakers went on to win, allowed them to further pad their lead through free throws. The final score ended up being 122-114, a ridiculous backdoor cover for the Lakers and pure pain for Kings +6.5 bettors.
The Lakers win by 8 and get the cover
Kings +6.5 pic.twitter.com/f7886Wa3N8
— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) January 5, 2022
Had the referees awarded possession to the Kings, they would have had a chance to score a basket and prevent the Lakers from covering. Even if they missed, there may have been so little time left that the Kings may no longer have fouled and the Lakers would have won by five. Instead, Kings +6.5 bettors ended up with the worst NBA beat that we have seen since this one.
