It was an exciting Sunday of NBA action as four of the five games on tap all went down the wire—including the Boston Celtics edging out the Toronto Raptors, 126-123, in OT on a game-winning buzzer-beater from Jayson Tatum.
The Charlotte Hornets also won a nailbiter, holding off the Milwaukee Bucks, 115-114, after LaMelo Ball hit the game-winning free throws off what looked to be a questionable foul call on the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo. And that game-altering possession leads us to our daily NBA takeaways, starting with Doc Rivers lamenting the crucial call. Take a look:
Doc Rivers Rips Late-Game Foul Call
For the second consecutive game, Doc River’s Bucks were on the wrong end of a phantom foul called against their MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
With Milwaukee clinging to a precarious 114-113 lead, the Hornets’ LaMelo Ball, guarded by the former MVP, drove right from the top of the key and lost his balance moving forward, losing the ball in the process. A foul, however, was called and Ball was awarded two free throws, which he sank to give Charlotte a 115-114 lead. Antetokounmpo’s shot at a game-winner rimmed out to end the game.
Replays clearly showed there was no illegal contact and that Ball tripped on his own leg, causing him to lose balance and fall forward. Crew chief Curtis Blair admitted after the game there was no illegal contact upon review. Unfortunately, the Bucks no longer had their head coach challenge at the time.
Postgame, Rivers was blunt in his assessment, describing the phantom foul as “the ref blowing a call.”
“LaMelo Ball fell,” Rivers added. “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…”
The sorry loss dropped Milwaukee to 4-9, while Charlotte improved to 5-7.
Lakers Fend Off Hard-Fighting Pelicans
After an early-season swoon, the Los Angeles Lakers are rolling once more.
The Purple and Gold won their fifth in a row on Saturday, fending off the New Orleans Pelicans, 104-99 behind Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and rookie Dalton Knecht.
Davis paced the Lakers yet again with 31 points and 14 rebounds, while Knecht dropped a career-high 27 on 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. James, on the other hand, finished with 21 points, including a pair of triples late in the game just as the Pelicans had taken a 97-95 lead. He added 7 rebounds and 5 assists to end his triple-double streak at four.
Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans’ spirited effort with 32 points and 8 assists.
The Lakers are now 9-4, while the Pelicans dropped to 4-10.
De’Aaron Fox Continues Fine Play as Kings Win
A day after exploding for a season- and career-high 60 points, the Sacramento Kings’ De’Aaron Fox was at it again on Sunday, going off for 49 points to lead the SacTown to a 121-117 win against the Utah Jazz.
Fox was 16-for-30 from the field and 14-for-19 from the foul line in this game. He also added 9 assists and 2 steals in another virtuoso performance, which saw him score 26 in the first half alone. Fox’s 109 points are the most in back-to-back games for the Kings franchise.
Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyles added 17 and 16, respectively, to help the Kings improve to 8-6. The Jazz dropped to 3-9.
‘Inside the NBA’ Set to Continue at ESPN and ABC
Multi-awarded and fan favorite studio show “Inside the NBA” will reportedly continue airing next season and beyond—only this time, it will air on ESPN and ABC but be produced by Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD) TNT Sports.
“Inside the NBA” had previously been in danger of ending its hugely successful run after the NBA chose not to grant media rights to WBD, instead pivoting to more lucrative deals with NBC and Amazon Prime Video. WBD then took legal action against the NBA after it ignored the outfit’s bid to match the other offers.
Despite the legal dispute, the two sides agreed on a setup that would salvage the popular show, whose iconic quartet of Ernie Johnson Jr., Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal have become must-see TV. The official announcement of the deal is expected next week.
