The NBA Last Two Minutes Report (L2M) on the officiating of Tuesday night’s Timberwolves-Mavericks game shows the referees missed three different calls in the span of 16 seconds, two of which hurt Minnesota.

With just under two minutes on the clock, Dallas led 114-109 and had the ball after an Anthony Edwards turnover. It was then that the series of poorly swallowed whistles began. Klay Thompson established a illegal screen on Nickeil Alexander-Walker who was not called. Thompson “leans forward and makes contact” was the language used in the league report. Wolves manager Chris Finch saw it at the time and was angry with the referees.

Then, after three misses from Thompson, Luka Doncic grabbed the offensive rebound and was foul by Jaden McDaniels as he went upstairs for a little shot. That wasn’t called either. The Mavs then got another offensive rebound, this time from PJ Washington, who went out of bounds while returning the ball to Doncic. The referees also missed it.

The next play, after a Wolves foul, was Doncic’s 32-foot dagger from deep that effectively sealed the game, as the Mavs left Target Center. with a 120-114 victory.

In total, it was a brutal 16-second sequence for the officials team. You can say Washington crossing the line wouldn’t have happened if the refs had called McDaniels’ foul on Doncic, but you can also say that foul wouldn’t have happened if they had called the clear and illegal screen on Thompson. This one, which started the sequence, should have resulted in a turnover.

Ultimately, the L2M report doesn’t change the results, although it does provide some transparency regarding controversial calls or non-calls in the final two minutes of close games.

“L2M is part of the NBA’s ongoing efforts to increase awareness and understanding of the rules and processes that govern our game,” is the wording of the NBA. “Additionally, it serves as an accountability mechanism to our fans and the media who seek clarification after our matches.”

The Wolves can be frustrated with the officiating all they want, but they lost Tuesday because they turned the ball over 20 times, missed nine free throws and allowed too many offensive rebounds and transition opportunities to the Mavericks.

They will look to bounce back Friday in another tough playoff rematch against the Nuggets.

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