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The LA Lakers’ clash against the Golden State Warriors was interrupted by a shot clock malfunction, causing a delay of more than 22 minutes in the game. Golden State Warriors’ 128-121 win over the Lakers marked an important win in the Western Conference playoff race. While the game was filled with several highlights, the malfunctioning of the in-stadium shot clock actually killed the momentum.
With less than two minutes remaining for the game, the shot clock stopped working completely, causing a lengthy delay while the operations crew tried to find a solution. While it was thought that the clock was fixed in several moments, the clock simply refused to move when players resumed the game, leading to frustration among players and fans.
The final two minutes of the Warriors’ first win at Crypto.com Arena since October 19, 2021, took more than 23 minutes of real-time. After several attempts were made to repair the shot clock, the referees turned to a regular stopwatch to keep note of the time.
I’m too old for this s***: LeBron James reacts to shot clock malfunction
The LA Lakers star LeBron James reacted to the shot clock malfunction and hilariously said, “I am too old for this s***”. Talking about the game, the clock malfunction wasn’t the only controversial incident of the game. Earlier during the game, James hit a 3-pointer from the corner to cut short Warriors’ lead to four points. However, the shot was overturned, and James’ 3-pointer was nullified after the officials watched the replay while reviewing a different play.
Crew Chief David Guthrie said in a pool report that the review on James’ shot was initiated during the game’s first stoppage. He cited Rule 13, Section II (f)(3) of the NBA rulebook and said, “The replay center official will only look at the position of the player’s feet at the moment they touch the floor immediately prior to the release of the shot. This can be applied during other replay triggers as well.”
