Mavs Owner Mark Cuban Intends to Protest the Warriors’ Free Shot

Following a perplexing sequence that resulted in an uncontested basket for the Warriors on Wednesday night, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he intended to protest his team’s two-point loss to Golden State.

After a timeout late in the third quarter, Kevon Looney had an easy dunk on an inbounds play with the Mavericks lined up on their offensive end, leading Golden State to a 127-125 victory.

Official Andy Nagy signaled possession to Golden State, giving the Mavericks the impression that they had the ball, but he quickly signaled a timeout by pointing to the Dallas bench.

Nagy appeared to explain that he was signaling the timeout when Looney objected when he pointed toward the Dallas bench. The loudspeaker also announced that Dallas had been given possession.

With 1:56 remaining in the third, the Warriors took a 90-87 lead as the Mavericks lined up on their offensive end after the break. Looney slammed the ball in with no defenders in his way.

Cuban said he planned to protest after posting on Twitter that he thought the sequence was the “Worst officiating non-call error conceivably in NBA history.”

Official Michael Smith was on the same end of the court as the Mavericks, so according to Dallas coach Jason Kidd, he must have assumed they had possession.

“There was quite a few people out of position,” Kidd said. “It can be fixed, but first you have to acknowledge that you were mistaken.”