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Referees admit they missed call that gave Hornets game-winning free throws against Bucks (Video)
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Referees admit they missed call that gave Hornets game-winning free throws against Bucks (Video)

The Milwaukee Bucks have gone through a pretty rough patch this season without officials making any glaring mistakes.

The Bucks’ latest loss came Saturday against the Charlotte Hornets, in which the game turned on a single drive that resulted in LaMelo Ball on the ground and the referees blowing the whistle. The Bucks led 114-113 with 7.3 seconds left when Ball got two free throws, which he made.

The foul was called against Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, but replay showed he did little more than brush the ball with his hand. The ball just slipped as he started to take a route, or as the Hornets broadcast puts it, tripped over his own Pumas:

Unfortunately for the Bucks, they didn’t have a challenge to clear the foul. Bucks head coach Doc Rivers had his two challenges remaining with three minutes left, but successfully used one to call off a foul on Andre Jackson Jr. with 2:46 left, then used without success the other to contest an appeal on Taurean Prince.

Antetokounmpo, who had a triple-double with 22 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists, was unsurprisingly furious with the officials.

The call was egregious enough that crew chief Curtis Blair admitted his team blew it after the game in an interview with a pool reporter. If Rivers had held out for one more challenge, he would have won it.

From the NBA:

QUESTION: What was the final decision regarding the confirmation of the appeal?

BLAIR: During the live play, we called illegal leg-to-leg contact. In post-game review, when we reviewed the play, there was no illegal contact on the play.

QUESTION: So if there had been a challenge, which there wasn’t at that time because Milwaukee didn’t have one available, that call would have been overturned?

Rivers agreed, via Athletics:

“There was clearly no foul,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “When you watch the video, the referee was blocked by one of our players. You can’t guess at the end of the game. Both teams played too hard.

The loss was another brutal one for the Bucks, who are 4-9 this season and 21-28 under Doc Rivers. The team was missing star point guard Damian Lillard, who remains in the concussion protocol, but was ultimately taken out by an 18-5 free throw disparity.