NBA denies Nuggets' protest of loss to Grizzlies

NEW YORK (AP) The NBA has denied the Denver Nuggets' protest of their loss to Memphis on Nov. 8, acknowledging an error by the Replay Center official but not a misapplication of the playing rules.

The Nuggets protested the 108-107 loss because the Replay Center awarded possession of the ball to Memphis with 0.7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter after determining that the Nuggets' Emmanuel Mudiay last touched the ball before it went out of bounds.

The Replay Center official found two angles that appeared to show Mudiay touching the ball and did not select additional angles to review. Another angle was found after the game showing Mudiay did not touch it, and the league later ruled that the call was incorrect.

However, the league says Wednesday that a misapplication of the playing rules is required ''to justify the extraordinary remedy of granting a game protest and overturning the game's result.''