NBA says three late officiating errors benefited Nuggets in OT victory over Rockets
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The NBA acknowledged on Tuesday that referees missed three calls during the final two minutes of overtime in the Denver Nuggets’ 128-125 win over the Houston Rockets on Dec. 16, and that every error favored Denver.
According to the league’s Last Two Minute Report, fouls assessed to Houston’s Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson should not have been whistled, while a foul on Denver’s Tim Hardaway Jr. should have been called but was not.
With 1:40 remaining in the extra period, Durant was charged with a foul after blocking Nikola Jokić. The play sent Jokić to the line for two free throws that extended Denver’s lead to 126-121, but the report says the block was clean and the foul should have been waved off.
Just over a minute later, Hardaway shoved Alperen ĹžengĂĽn during a scramble for a loose ball. The NBA ruled that the contact warranted a loose-ball foul on Hardaway, which would have given the Rockets possession.
With 47 seconds left and Denver ahead 126-122, Thompson was called for a personal foul while attempting to steal the ball from Jamal Murray. Murray converted both free throws, yet the league now states there was no illegal contact on the play.
The league’s review did not revisit a separate foul on Thompson for tripping Hardaway in the closing seconds of regulation, a call that was challenged by Houston and upheld during the game.
After the contest, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka sharply criticized the officiating crew led by Zach Zarba, calling it “the most poorly officiated game I’ve seen in a long time” and saying the referees “had no business being out there.”
The Nuggets improved to 19-8 with the victory, while the Rockets fell to 13-12.
Source: ESPN
