The NBA issued a statement Sunday that said Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul was fouled by Golden State forward Draymond Green when he lost control of the ball and should have been awarded two free throws during Game 1 on Saturday.

“Just prior to the ball going out of bounds, Paul was fouled by Green and Paul should have been granted two free throws,” the NBA statement said. “Contact preceding out of bounds calls is not a reviewable matter.”

For the Clippers, it was too little, too late to hear that the league office was being transparent about its officials missing a call during Los Angeles’ 109-105 loss to Golden State.

“We still had opportunities to win,” Paul responded about the league’s admission. “When the ball went out of bounds, I knew it was off me. It felt like it was a foul, though.”

The officials looked at the replay monitor to make sure the ball went off Paul, awarding the ball to the Warriors.

“It doesn’t change it. It doesn’t make me feel any better,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said about the NBA’s ruling. “But I do think it’s a good thing to do. I think they (the NBA) take ownership.”

Popovich to Sager: ‘I promise I’ll be nice’

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich says he looks forward to sideline reporter Craig Sager’s return and “I promise I’ll be nice.”

TNT’s Sager is missing the NBA playoffs as he undergoes treatment for leukemia. So his son, Craig Sager Jr., filled in for Sunday’s broadcast of San Antonio’s playoff opener against Dallas, asking Popovich a few questions after the third quarter.

The younger Sager, a sports reporter in Atlanta, said he asked his father for suggestions but was told, “You’re on your own.”

“You did a great job,” Popovich said to him, “but I’d rather have your dad standing here.”

Popovich then shared this message for his father: “We miss you. You’ve been an important part of all of us for a long time, doing a great job. We want your fanny back on the court, and I promise I’ll be nice.”