Timberwolves' pain grows with league's unfortunate announcement

The NBA referees are never going to be perfect. Still, making wrong calls, or not blowing the whistle when an infraction is made, at the end of games are magnified by fanbases. 

After each game, the NBA provides an L2M (Last 2-Minute) Report, which goes over calls that were made correctly or incorrectly in the final two minutes. A key play from the Minnesota Timberwolves/San Antonio Spurs game on Saturday was not called a foul on Victor Wembanyama as rookie Joan Beringer tried to weave inside for a layup. The L2M Report said a personal foul should have been called on Wemby, and it may have changed the outcome of the game had it been assessed.

Outcome could have changed had foul been called

Down 25 at halftime, Minnesota made a valiant comeback on Saturday to give itself an opportunity to put a tally in the win column. The Timberwolves actually took the lead but were trailing by one with 40 seconds remaining. It was then that Julius Randle found the 19-year-old Beringer along the baseline. As Beringer drove closer to the cup, Wembanyama bumped him with his lower body, and Beringer’s awkward-looking reverse layup was blocked by the giant.

According to the L2M report, there was enough contact there to warrant a foul call. Beringer would have had the chance at the foul line to tie the game, or to take a 1-point lead.

Instead, Wembanyama corralled the ball, and San Antonio nearly ran out the entire 24-second shot clock before good ball movement led to a wide-open Keldon Johnson 3-pointer, which he connected on. The result of not calling a foul on Wemby possibly resulted in a five-point swing.

After calling a timeout, Chris Finch was granted a technical foul for arguing the no-call. While Wembanyama missed the technical free throw, Finch clearly saw what the L2M Report did as well.

Wolves remain fourth in the West

It’s a tough break for Minnesota, which currently resides fourth in the Western Conference with a 27-16 record. They are 2.5 games behind the Spurs, second in the West, and the difference would have just been a half-game had the Timberwolves completed the comeback victory.

Still, positives surely can be taken from a game where Rudy Gobert didn’t play, and Naz Reid left with a shoulder injury after five minutes. Anthony Edwards was unconscious in the fourth quarter, and it helped result in a new career-high 55 points for him. Beringer once again showed he can be counted on to play meaningful minutes.

The Timberwolves will have a chance to move past Saturday’s outing when they go on the road to take on the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.