The Mavericks thought they were making the right play by intentionally fouling the Nuggets in the final seconds of Saturday's Game 3, but no whistle was blown.

Carmelo Anthony was allowed to attempt a three-pointer, which put Denver up 106-105 with one second left in regulation.

The league acknowledged the mistake a few hours after the game.

"This is about as tough a loss as I've been a part of in my 11 years in the league," said Dirk Nowitzki. "The way it went down, we were basically thinking we had it and were making the right play by trying to foul. It was just a weird sequence down the stretch."

Dallas will now look to avoid a sweep at the hands of Denver on Monday night.

Antoine Wright hacked at Anthony before he got set for his shot, but Mark Wunderlich, the referee closest to the play, swallowed his whistle.

"It's just a shame, because Mark's a good official, an experienced official," coach Rick Carlisle said. "I assume they know that we have a foul to give and we would take it in that situation. I'm yelling at Antoine: 'Get him, get him, take it.' And no whistle blows. It's just extremely disappointing.

"There's no guarantee. We still would have been up two with probably three seconds left. But it's a lot more difficult situation for Denver.

"What do you tell your fans? What do you tell your players?"