NBA Cup: Clippers beat Mavericks in 2OT after automated officiating overturns Daniel Gafford’s goal call

Friday’s NBA Cup game between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers came down to the wire — twice. And the league had a chance to use a new tool to determine whether the game would go forward.

With the game tied at 123 in overtime, Clippers guard James Harden shot a floater with seconds left, but it was blocked by Daniel Gafford. The officials initially ruled the block a goal, briefly awarding LA what would have been the two winning points.

The NBA then used automated officiating to determine where the ball was in its arc. The league has made automated officiating more widespread this season as a way to improve the accuracy of on-court calls.

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After the NBA’s Court iQ analyzed the shot, it determined that Harden’s floater had not yet reached the top of its arc when Gafford hit it, making it a block and not a save. The result sent the game into double overtime.

The Clippers won 133-127 in double OT, so the call likely didn’t change the final outcome. But it demonstrates the early stages of automated officiating’s arrival in the NBA — and other professional sports, too, with robot umpires set to join MLB next season.

Harden finished with a triple-double, totaling 41 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. Clippers veteran guard Bogdan Bogdanović scored 21 points off the bench, including five 3-pointers.

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D’Angelo Russell, who hit the game-tying layup in the final minutes of regulation, scored 28 points off the bench for Dallas, while forward Naji Marshall had 28 points and eight rebounds as the Mavericks fell just short at home.