Had the clock went to all zeroes, a replay could’ve been triggered.May 26, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7), guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) react after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in game four of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn ImagesWe finally know why the officials didn’t review the clock in the final moments of Monday night’s Game 4 between the Timberwolves and Thunder: They weren’t allowed to initiate a review.
When Shai Gilgeous-Alexander flung a pass out of bounds and a fan caught the ball, the clock ticked down to 0.1 seconds remaining. Rather than going to the monitors to review how much time should be put back on the clock, the officials decided to add two-tenths of a second, giving Minnesota 0.3 seconds while trailing 128-126.Here’s what the NBA’s Last Two-Minute Report, which was released Tuesday afternoon, says about the play:
“Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) throws the ball toward the sideline, where it is touched by a spectator out of bounds. The game clock runs down to 00:00.1. After conferencing, the officials reset the game clock to 00:00.3. Since the clock did not reach 00:00.0, instant replay cannot be triggered in this situation.”
Quite literally, one tenth of a second prevented a review. Had the clock struck zero, the officials could’ve triggered an instant replay and found that the ball touched the fan with 0.6 or 0.5 seconds remaining.
Minnesota never got a shot off with 0.3 seconds left. Maybe they would have successfully converted a catch-and-shoot with a half-second remaining, but it doesn’t matter now and the Wolves have to win Games 5, 6 and 7 to keep their season alive.
