By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
It’s not usual in the NBA, but Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers openly criticized referees for calling a foul on Giannis Antetokounmpo against LaMelo Ball with 7.3 seconds left in the Bucks’ 115-114 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.
With the Hornets trailing by one, Ball appeared to slip and fall while driving into the basket. Replays didn’t appear to show any contact, but Antetokounmpo was whistled for the foul. Ball made both free throws to give Charlotte the lead and Giannis couldn’t score to win the game in the time remaining.
“I thought the final play was the ref blowing a call,” Rivers said. “This is back-to-back games now where on the final play there has been an incorrect call made.”
Crew chief Curtis Blair told pool reporters afterward that the Bucks did not have a challenge left, and if they had, the call would have been overturned on replay.
“During live play, we called illegal leg-to-leg contact,” Blair said. “During postgame review when we looked at the play there was no illegal contact on the play.”
The same happened in the game against Detroit, with Giannis getting called for a foul on Ron Holland. The NBA admitted on their next day report that the call was wrong, but the Bucks in that game managed to prevail after overtime 127-120 behind 59 points from Antetokounmpo.
“LaMelo Ball fell,” Rivers said. “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.”
As for Giannis, he added humorously referring to a possible fine about criticizing the refs: “I have been in the league for 12 years. Rule number 1, never give away your money. Rule number 2, don’t forget rule no1, so I am not going to comment on that”.