NBA: Refs made four incorrect calls late in Cavaliers' loss to Bucks
The NBA releases "last two minute" officiating reports all season long, for games which were within five points at the two-minute mark or go into overtime. And the one detailing the Cavaliers' double-overtime loss to the Bucks on Saturday says the officials missed four calls down the stretch.
Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com broke it all down:
None of this had a direct effect on the outcome of the contest, though had some of these calls gone differently, so would some of the most critical late-game possessions.
The inadvertent whistle at the end of the first overtime that prevented Cleveland from getting a good look at a game-winner in transition was the closest of all of these to truly making a difference.
In addition to the inadvertent whistle near the end of the first overtime, the league conceded that referees blew four calls during important moments of the Cavaliers’ 108-105 double-overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. Three of the four calls went against the Cavs.
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James should’ve drawn a foul with 1:10 left in regulation and the Cavs down 2 when he got Giannis Antetokounmpo up in the air on a 3-pointer. James leaned into him before hoisting an off-balance shot, but did not get the call. The Bucks grabbed the rebound and scored at the other end.
Officials also incorrectly called Greg Monroe for a loose ball foul on Richard Jefferson in the first overtime, then whistled J.R. Smith for an incorrect traveling call a few plays later after Smith grabbed the rebound off a Bucks miss.
Finally, James was whistled for setting an illegal screen on Michael Carter-Williams in the first minute of the second overtime. The league ruled Sunday the screen was indeed legal.
