The Lakers protected home court with a hard-fought win against the Grizzlies tonight. Sure enough, it will give them a sense of redemption after last week’s loss in Memphis. But there was a moment toward the end when they almost let the victory slip from their grasp. And if it wasn’t for the newly implemented rule of a Proximate Foul, we might have been looking at a different outcome.

Yes, the incident occurred during the 19.3-second mark of the final quarter while the Lakers were leading by only five points. As LeBron James inbounded the ball to Austin Reaves, Scotty Pippen Jr. disrupted the play, leading to the ball going out of bounds. Sure enough, the Grizzlies used their challenge, claiming that Reaves touched the ball last. However, upon review, the officials called a Proximate Foul on Pippen for a ‘hip wrap’ on Reaves after the ball was inbounded.

A Proximate Foul is a newly added change to the coach’s challenge on out of bound plays which states “Under the new rule, if instant replay of an out-of-bounds violation is triggered by a Coach’s Challenge, the on-court officials and Replay Center will be able to review the video to determine whether a foul proximate to the violation should have been called.” As per this rule that became effective this season, the officials were allowed to check if there was a foul on Reaves during the play. They found that to be the case and penalized Pippen with a foul.

Well, three factors need to be considered to determine if a foul is Proximate to the out of bounds:

1. Whether the players involved in the uncalled foul are the same or different players than the ones involved in the out-of-bounds violation under review.
2. The distance between the uncalled foul and the out-of-bounds violation under review.
3. The time elapsed between the uncalled foul and the out-of-bounds violation under review.

Sure enough, the new rule proved to be a huge advantage for the Lakers.

The Aftermath of Scotty Pippen Jr.’s Proximity Foul on Austin Reaves

Well, it was clear from the replay that the ball went out off Reaves’ fingertips. So, if it wasn’t for the proximate foul rule, the Grizzlies would have won the challenge and the possession. And that could have led to a comeback. Instead, Reaves got two free throws for the foul call, one of which he converted and extended the lead.

Sure enough, that might have proven to be the difference maker as the Grizzlies nearly closed the gap in the following possessions. But Anthony Davis’ clutch free throw shooting in the end helped the Lakers get a five-point victory. Yes, the new rule led to some confusion among fans, players, and even the Lakers’ announcers, who said, “What is that?” after the proximity foul was called. But it sure worked in the home team’s favor as they improved their record with their seventh win in eleven games.