DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets would like a second chance at the final moment of a loss in Memphis.
The team filed a protest Thursday night with the NBA over a disputed call with 0.7 seconds remaining two days ago. The ball appeared to go off a Grizzlies player, but the ruling on the floor and video review awarded possession to Memphis. Marc Gasol hit the game-winning shot on a tip-in for a 108-107 win for the Grizzlies.
In a release, the Nuggets said the NBA released its final two-minute officiating report and acknowledged an incorrect possession call.
“Commissioner (Adam) Silver has done a fantastic job championing league transparency and accuracy for teams and fans alike with the addition of in-game video review and the NBA’s instant replay center,” Nuggets president Josh Kroenke said in a statement. “However, in this case, a reviewable non-judgment call regarding possession was not sufficiently reviewed, and considering the time and score, we feel as if the incorrect ruling had a direct impact on the final outcome of the game.”
Nuggets coach Michael Malone says the best-case scenario would be to “replay the last seven-tenths.” If that were to happen, the Nuggets would be leading 107-106 and have possession of the ball.
The odds of that, though, are “slim and none,” Malone said.
Denver doesn’t play in Memphis again this season.
A do-over is not without precedent. Atlanta and Miami replayed the final 51.9 seconds of its disputed game during the 2007-08 season. The Hawks won 117-111 at home in overtime on Dec. 19, 2007. But it was protested by the Heat after the Atlanta stat crew mistakenly ruled Shaquille O’Neal had fouled out in the extra period.
The final minute was made up three months later with the Hawks holding on for a 114-111 OT win. O’Neal wasn’t even around for the replayed contest, having been traded to Phoenix.
That marked the NBA’s first replay since the 1982-83 season.
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