In an unusual move, the NBA admitted on Thursday that referees made a mistake by not calling a foul on the Atlanta Hawks Dahantay Jones after he rushed Kobe Bryant's shot in the final seconds of the Lakers loss to the Hawks Wednesday night.

In a statement the NBA said, "After review at league office, video replay confirmed referees missed foul call on Jones as he challenged Bryant's shot." They added that Jones "did not give him the opportunity to land cleanly back on the floor. Bryant should have been granted two free throws."

Even if a foul had been called, it's questionable if Kobe could have shot the free throws. He suffered a severely sprained ankle in the play and is out indefinitely. He also said after the game that the NBA has to do a better job "protecting shooters" before adding, "Can't get my mind past the fact that I've got to wait a year to get revenge."

The NBA isn't expected to take any punitive action against Jones, such as a fine or a retroactive flagrant foul.

Source: Lakers Nation, @Mike_Bresnahan