NBA Admits Mistake After Clippers' Loss to Lakers

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Joey Linn | Last updated Feb 21, 2026 7:14 PM ET

The LA Clippers missed an opportunity to reach the .500 mark on Friday night, falling 125-122 to the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.con Arena. Trailing by as many as 16 points, the Clippers had a chance to tie on their final possession when Nicolas Batum stole LeBron James' in-bound pass but missed the game-tying 3-point attempt.

While the Clippers shot 29 free throws, four more than the Lakers' 25 attempts, there was frustration postgame toward how this game was officiated. Clippers head coach Ty Lue used the term "foul-baiting" when speaking with reporters after the loss. Bennedict Mathurin, who fouled out late in the fourth quarter, expressed similar frustration.

“It’s hard, man. You try to play hard and the game kinda stops on one side of the court more than the other," Mathurin said.

Bennedict Mathurin on the Lakers’ whistle tonight:

“It’s hard, man. You try to play hard and the game kinda stops on one side of the court more than the other.” pic.twitter.com/lNkYJWIV8D
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) February 21, 2026

Mathurin was also given a technical foul in this game. With 7:35 left in the second quarter, Mathurin was fouled by Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt. While this whistle went in his favor, Mathurin was called for a technical foul immediately after. It was unclear at the time what prompted that decision by referee CJ Washington, but the league has since changed its ruling and rescinded the technical.

"Bennedict Mathurin’s (LAC) technical foul (7:35, 2nd qtr) from game on 2/20/26 has been rescinded upon league office review," the NBA announced on Saturday.

In a game ultimately decided by one possession, a wrongly-assigned technical foul makes a difference. Perhaps had they been trailing by just two on their final possession, the Clippers would have opted for a better look than Batum's pull-up three.

LA Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In just his third game with the Clippers, Mathurin finished with 26 points and seven rebounds off the bench. This came one night after his 38-point performance in a win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday, a game that set a Clippers franchise record for points in a home debut by a reserve.

Starting the season 6-21, the Clippers are closing in on a return to .500 now at 27-29. This is good for ninth in the Western Conference standings, and sits just two losses behind the Golden State Warriors who hold that coveted No. 8 seed which awards two chances at winning a Play-In Tournament game and making the NBA Playoffs.

LA returns to action on Sunday at home against the Orlando Magic.

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

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