Marcus Smart was perhaps as heroic as he has ever been during the Los Angeles Lakers' Game 3 win in their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets on Friday. However, according to the NBA, he made a key mistake in crunch time that wasn't called by the referees who were working the contest.
With less than 30 seconds left, the Lakers trailed 101-95 and seemed to be on their way to their first loss of the series. Smart then stole the ball from Jabari Smith Jr. in the backcourt and was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer. While he made all three free throws, the NBA's Last Two Minute Report indicated that Smart committed a lane violation on one of those foul shots, per ESPN.
Overall, Smart had 21 points, 10 assists, four rebounds, five steals and two blocks. So far in this series, the veteran guard is averaging 20.3 points on 52.9% overall shooting and 50% from 3-point range, 8.3 assists, 3.7 steals and 1.7 blocks per game.
The Lakers now lead the series three games to none, and they can sweep the Rockets in Game 4, which will take place on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: NBA says Marcus Smart committed lane violation during late free throw
