NBA cites two ref mistakes that helped Cavs beat Warriors

The NBA admitted officials made two mistakes late in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 109-108 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Both errors benefited the Cavs.

In the play that mattered most at the end, the league said the Cavs’ Richard Jefferson should have been called for a foul on Kevin Durant’s three-point attempt with 3.1 seconds remaining.

Durant missed the shot, but told reporters: “I fell. And I didn’t fall on my own.”

Durant told The Undefeated: “I would’ve made that shot if he didn’t trip me up… But they ain’t calling it on him at their crib. It’s not his fault. It’s not the refs’ fault, either.”

In the other missed call, the NBA said LeBron James should have been called for a technical for hanging on the rim after a dunk with one minute, 43 seconds remaining.

That dunk put the Cavs up 105-103, their first lead since early in the game.

Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue downplayed the NBA’s findings when asked about them Monday.

“There’s a lot of fouls throughout the course of the game that don’t get called,”  Lue said, via ESPN.

“It’s a tough game to officiate – the players we have, the way guys can draw fouls and contact. And so that was an incidental play at the end of the game.”