Referees have agreed that Giannis Antetokounmpo should not have been called for a foul on LaMelo Ball in the final moments of Saturday’s game, backing up Bucks coach Doc Rivers’ criticism. The foul led to the Charlotte Hornets winning the game 115-114 over the Milwaukee Bucks.
With the Hornets down by one, Ball drove to the basket and appeared to slip and fall. Replays didn’t show any contact, but Antetokounmpo was called for the foul with 7.3 seconds left. Ball made both free throws to put Charlotte ahead.
Rivers said, “I thought the final play was the ref blowing a call. This is back-to-back games now where on the final play there has been an incorrect call made.”
The Bucks couldn’t challenge the call because they had already used their challenge. Crew chief Curtis Blair later explained that if the Bucks had a challenge left, the call would have been overturned.
Blair said, “During live play we called illegal leg-to-leg contact. During postgame review when we looked at the play there was no illegal contact on the play.”
Antetokounmpo’s shot at the buzzer missed, and the Hornets won the game.
Earlier in the week, a similar situation happened in a game against the Detroit Pistons. Antetokounmpo was called for a questionable foul with one second left in regulation, with the score tied at 111.
But in that game, Pistons player Ron Holland II missed both free throws, and the game went into overtime. The Bucks won 127-120, with Antetokounmpo scoring 59 points.
Rivers commented on the play with Ball, saying, “LaMelo Ball fell. He just fell down. Nobody was near him. He slipped on his own. We come up with the ball and the game is over.
So back-to-back games now we have had a call made against us that is incorrect. We were lucky in Detroit the kid missed two free throws. Tonight LaMelo Ball made the free throws.”
