A strange clock error at the end of overtime nearly cost the Denver Nuggets dearly in their game against the Utah Jazz.
With the Nuggets trailing by two and 3.4 seconds left in overtime, Denver drew up a play to get Nikola Jokic to the basket quickly to score. It worked to perfection, as Jokic was able to drive and score to tie the game. There was just one problem: the clock didn’t start on the inbound.
Jokic ties the game but the clock didn't start pic.twitter.com/OsahL92Rb6
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 8, 2020
The officials went to the monitor to try to determine how much time should have come off the clock before Jokic’s basket, and subsequently whether it should have counted or not. They ultimately determined that Jokic scored with 0.3 seconds left, tying the game and forcing double overtime.
Even more oddly, the clock actually started too early on Utah’s last-ditch attempt on the ensuing possession, meaning it needed to be replayed. Denver ultimately won the game 134-132 in double overtime.
Clock errors do happen in the NBA, sometimes at the end of big games. It’s unusual to see one that blatant at such a big spot that has such a major impact on the outcome of a game, though.
