NBA
Things got real testy at the end of Wednesday night’s Clippers-76ers matchup.
And Philadelphia was rather incensed, to say the least.
With 5.1 seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter and the visiting Clippers up by one point, there was a jump ball and an ensuing tip-off at center court, and the 76ers had one last gasp to try to win the game — but they failed to get off a shot and fell, 108-107.
But a non-shot at the end was not exactly why Philadelphia was angry — it was why there was no shot that upset head coach Nick Nurse and his team.
After the 76ers controlled the tip, the ball was passed around and got to Kelly Oubre.
He eventually drove to the basket but appeared to be impeded by Paul George when the Clippers star left his feet trying to block the shot and his body made contact with Oubre while in the air.
By the time Oubre tried to get off a final shot off, the buzzer had already sounded and the Clippers won a thriller.
Nurse immediately jawed with officials over his displeasure about the apparent no-call and had to be restrained by one of his staffers.
Oubre, for his part, seemingly pointed out each of the referees and had some words for them.
“I think [Oubre] took it in there pretty hard, I looked at it on our computer a few times,” Nurse told reporters after the game. “There was certainly contact, certainly much as the last two or three that got called and-ones at the other end. I just thought it was enough contact to call.”
After the game the officials said they missed the foul call, denying the 76ers a possible victory in their fight for better playoff positioning.
Referee Kevin Scott said in a pool report sent to reporters by the NBA an hour after the game that the George did make contact with Kelly Oubre Jr. — who had the ball and was driving — before time had expired on the final play of the contest.
“In real time the crew interpreted that play as the defender jumping vertically,” Scott said. “However, in post-game video review we did observe some slight drift to his left by the defender George, and a foul should have been ruled.”
The foul call would have sent Oubre to the line with a chance to win the game with 0.2 seconds remaining.
After the horn sounded, both Oubre and Nurse swarmed onto the floor to challenge Scott and fellow officials JB DeRosa and Brandon Adair.
The game-winning points came off a two-point basket and subsequent free throw — as Nurse said — from Kawhi Leonard.
The 76ers, still without star Joel Embiid, are 39-34 and in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
— with AP
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