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How Did the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies End Up Playing 1 Extra Minute Due to Shot-Clock Malfunction?

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics
By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated 4/14/24

The Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies recently faced off against each other in one of the final matches of the regular season. The thing is, both teams inadvertently played longer than what they were supposed to.

In that particular game, the Lakers went home with the 123-120 win over a Grizzlies team without All-Star point guard Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. in it. All-Star forward LeBron James led the Purple and Gold with 37 points on 65 percent shooting from the field, nine rebounds, and five assists. Anthony Davis made 36 points and 14 rebounds, while Rui Hachimura added 14 points.

The Grizzlies, meanwhile, had rookie GG Jackson II make 31 points in 40 minutes on the court. Jordan Goodwin posted 23 points and 17 rebounds, while Jake LaRavia and Scotty Pippen Jr each contributed 28 points in the loss.

The win boosted the Lakers chances of keeping the eighth spot with 46 wins and 35 losses. This meant that they can have the favorable position heading into the Play-In Tournament, granted they win their upcoming match against Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans. The Grizzlies’ 27-54 record is the third worst in the Western Conference and the franchise will be back in the lottery during the offseason.

How the Game Between Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies Got Extended

Normally, NBA games are played with a strong emphasis on the game clock. During the Lakers-Grizzlies game, though, the same can’t be said. This can be seen in the video shared by Ramiro Bentes on X:

Just realized the Lakers and Grizzlies played 13:06 minutes in the 3rd quarter last night. When the shot clock was supposed to be reset at 1:14, the game clock was also accidentally reset to 2:20. No one noticed and they played the rest of the way with the new game clock. pic.twitter.com/oeEE0F7f3C

— Ramiro Bentes (@NbaInRstats) April 13, 2024

After the game, NBA officials admitted that the game clock was inaccurately set during the third quarter. The league added that the mistake was not identified in time and resolved while the game was going on.

Although the time-related lapse was unfortunate, it didn’t mean that much for the Grizzlies’ chances this season. On the other hand, the Lakers’ last couple of games are crucial for the franchise to secure a spot in the playoffs. Hopefully, this mistake won’t occur in the coming months.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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