Austin Reaves, Lakers Benefited From NBA's Critical Mistake

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Mar 15, 2026 6:17 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets 127-125 in their Saturday showdown that went to overtime. Luka Doncic saved the Purple and Gold, draining a jumper with 0.5 seconds left to give L.A. its fifth straight win.

Doncic finished with a triple-double of 30 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. The Slovenian guard added one steal and three blocks in the hard-fought victory.

Austin Reaves led the Lakers in scoring with 32 points. He also made one of the most crucial plays of the game, intentionally missing a free throw with 5.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter before grabbing the rebound and hitting a floater to tie it at 118-all.

Three players scored 20-plus points for the Nuggets, led by Aaron Gordon's 27. Nikola Jokic added a triple-double with 24 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists, along with five steals, in a losing effort.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) looks on during a game.Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Lakers, however, benefited from a referee mistake in the win. With 9.2 seconds left in the fourth, Reaves was fouled by Spencer Jones after receiving the inbound pass from LeBron James. Because the Nuggets were in a penalty situation, it led to two free throws, both of which Reaves made to cut Denver's lead to just one, 116-115.

According to the NBA's Last 2 Minute Report, though, Jones should not have been called for a foul on Reaves on the play.

"Jones (DEN) extends his right hand and cleanly dislodges the ball away from Reaves (LAL) after he received the inbound pass," the NBA wrote, noting that it was an incorrect call from the official.

The Last Two Minutes Report for Lakers-Nuggets determined that Austin Reaves should not have been awarded two free throws with 9.2 seconds remaining in regulation, ruling that Spencer Jones had a clean strip. pic.twitter.com/BtENE3kbCd
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 15, 2026

It was certainly an unfortunate turn for the Nuggets, especially since they could have retained their three-point lead with just a few seconds remaining. Clearly, there was a good chance Denver would have secured the win.

Regardless, the Nuggets cannot do anything about it now. They dropped to 41-27 on the season, placing them at No. 5 in the Western Conference.

As for Reaves and the Lakers, they improved to 42-25, good for third in the conference.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: