diff --git a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/ConnectionImplementation.java b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/ConnectionImplementation.java
index d3f8e36010a5..bcb295a2628b 100644
--- a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/ConnectionImplementation.java
+++ b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/ConnectionImplementation.java
@@ -1008,9 +1008,12 @@ private RegionLocations locateRegionInMeta(TableName tableName, byte[] row, bool
       }
       // Query the meta region
       long pauseBase = connectionConfig.getPauseMillis();
-      takeUserRegionLock();
-      final long lockStartTime = EnvironmentEdgeManager.currentTime();
+      long lockStartTime = 0;
+      boolean lockedUserRegion = false;
       try {
+        takeUserRegionLock();
+        lockStartTime = EnvironmentEdgeManager.currentTime();
+        lockedUserRegion = true;
         // We don't need to check if useCache is enabled or not. Even if useCache is false
         // we already cleared the cache for this row before acquiring userRegion lock so if this
         // row is present in cache that means some other thread has populated it while we were
@@ -1119,10 +1122,12 @@ rpcControllerFactory, getMetaLookupPool(), connectionConfig.getMetaReadRpcTimeou
             ConnectionUtils.getPauseTime(pauseBase, tries), TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
         }
       } finally {
-        userRegionLock.unlock();
-        // update duration of the lock being held
-        if (metrics != null) {
-          metrics.updateUserRegionLockHeld(EnvironmentEdgeManager.currentTime() - lockStartTime);
+        if (lockedUserRegion) {
+          userRegionLock.unlock();
+          // update duration of the lock being held
+          if (metrics != null) {
+            metrics.updateUserRegionLockHeld(EnvironmentEdgeManager.currentTime() - lockStartTime);
+          }
         }
       }
       try {
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestAdmin.java b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestAdmin.java
index 6a28831d087a..5feca4549ce3 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestAdmin.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestAdmin.java
@@ -39,8 +39,8 @@
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.TableExistsException;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.TableName;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.TableNotFoundException;
-import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.master.LoadBalancer;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.master.HMaster;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.master.LoadBalancer;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.master.assignment.AssignmentManager;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.master.assignment.RegionStateNode;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.regionserver.storefiletracker.StoreFileTrackerFactory;
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestMetaCache.java b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestMetaCache.java
index e79f0dc8e5d4..778f6c4c57d4 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestMetaCache.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestMetaCache.java
@@ -592,21 +592,21 @@ public void testUserRegionLockThrowsException() throws IOException, InterruptedE
       // obtain the client metrics
       MetricsConnection metrics = conn.getConnectionMetrics();
       long queueCount = metrics.getUserRegionLockQueue().getCount();
-      assertEquals("Queue of userRegionLock should be updated twice. queueCount: " + queueCount,
-        queueCount, 2);
+      assertEquals("Queue of userRegionLock should be updated twice. queueCount: " + queueCount, 2,
+        queueCount);
 
       long timeoutCount = metrics.getUserRegionLockTimeout().getCount();
-      assertEquals("Timeout of userRegionLock should happen once. timeoutCount: " + timeoutCount,
-        timeoutCount, 1);
+      assertEquals("Timeout of userRegionLock should happen once. timeoutCount: " + timeoutCount, 1,
+        timeoutCount);
 
       long waitingTimerCount = metrics.getUserRegionLockWaitingTimer().getCount();
       assertEquals("userRegionLock should be grabbed successfully once. waitingTimerCount: "
-        + waitingTimerCount, waitingTimerCount, 1);
+        + waitingTimerCount, 1, waitingTimerCount);
 
       long heldTimerCount = metrics.getUserRegionLockHeldTimer().getCount();
       assertEquals(
-        "userRegionLock should be held successfully once. heldTimerCount: " + heldTimerCount,
-        heldTimerCount, 1);
+        "userRegionLock should be held successfully once. heldTimerCount: " + heldTimerCount, 1,
+        heldTimerCount);
       double heldTime = metrics.getUserRegionLockHeldTimer().getSnapshot().getMax();
       assertTrue("Max held time should be greater than 2 seconds. heldTime: " + heldTime,
         heldTime >= 2E9);