The Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies played more than 13 minutes in the third quarter of Friday's game because of a clock error that went unnoticed. The NBA confirmed the error on Saturday, saying the game clock was set incorrectly during the game. After the shooting foul, the clock was set to 2:20 instead of 1:14, but no one noticed the error in real time, including the teams, referees and the game clock operator.
The mistake was not discovered until after the game had ended, and was revealed on social media on Saturday afternoon. This incident comes at the end of a unique season for the Lakers, who played an extra game that did not count in the standings due to participation in the season finale.
The Lakers have one final regular season game on Sunday and can secure the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with a win against the New Orleans Pelicans. Depending on the outcome of the Suns vs. Timberwolves final, the Lakers could face the Pelicans or Phoenix in the playoff tournament.
The Lakers' placement in the play-in tournament could be affected by the results of the Sacramento-Portland and Golden State-Utah games if they lose to the Pelicans. Ultimately, the Lakers want to secure their spot in the playoffs and make a strong push for success.