Did blown calls doom the Wolves in loss to Golden State? NBA weighs in

Of course it won't do the Wolves any good, but in the NBA's two-minute report of Minnesota's game with Golden State Monday, it turns out officials made three mistakes in the closing seconds.

This was the key one: With the Wolves down two points, Golden State's Dramond Green missed a shot with 35 seconds left. In the scramble for the rebound after that miss, according to the league, Golden State's Harrison Barnes got away with grabbing Wiggins' jersey, affecting Wiggins' ability to retrieve the rebound.

Why is this such a big non-call? After all, Wiggins did eventually get the rebound anyway. Here's why: Had Barnes been called for a foul, it would have been the Warriors second in the final two minutes and Wiggins would have gone to the line knowing two free throws could tie the game.

Instead, with 16 seconds left, Wiggins missed a difficult, well-contested shot. The Warriors got the rebound and the Wolves were forced to start fouling. With 13 seconds left, Stephen Curry made two free throws to put the Warriors up four points.

The other mistakes? Green got away with an illegal screen with 46.6 seconds left. Then, with 40.2 seconds left, Green got away with traveling on a spin move. Green missed the shot anyway. so those missed calls didn't have a big impact. But the non-call on Barnes -- which came after that Green miss --could have changed the tenor of the game.

If you want to check out the NBA's report, you can find it here

Here's the video:

To Smith, it's a reward for all the work he put in to come back from a knee injury and work his way back into the NBA.

Smith signed a 10-day contract with the Wolves March 2. He was signed to a second 10-day deal on March 12, getting the news just as he was packing up to leave town. He got news of his recent deal just before practice Tuesday.

"I came in and just worked hard, trying to show them I could be a part of this organization,'' Smith said. "I'm just glad for the opportunity to play here for the rest of the year. And, hopefully, next year.''

A reserve for two NBA teams, Smith played in 131 games. But his time in NBA was cut short in part to a knee injury two years ago, one that eventually required surgery. It wasn't until this season, he said, that the knee felt right.

"From training camp to January I was back home working out," he said. "And all the time it became, will I get back? Will I play anywhere? I was trying to tell everyone my knee is fine.''

Smith, who had to deal with a painful ingrown toenail during his first 10-day stint, has averaged 2.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in 10.3 minutes.

Now, Smith said, he hopes to prove enough over the final weeks of the season that he belongs here, long term.