The Milwaukee Bucks fell to the Charloette Hornets 115-114 on Saturday afternoon. It was a hard-fought game that saw two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetotkounmpo record his first triple-double of the season, with 22 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists. He also had two blocks.
However, the Greak Freek, known for his tendency to draw fouls, only had one free throw attempt all game.
It was this fact, plus an egregious foul call in the closing seconds of the game, that had head coach Doc Rivers going off on the officiating during his postgame press conference.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Was Called for a Foul That Never Happened
With just seconds remaining in the game, the Hornets had the ball and got it to Lamelo Ball. The veteran guard was defended by Giannis after the defensive switch.
Ball drove to the lane but fell over himself. It should have been a turnover, but the referees called a foul on Giannis, who did not make any contact with Ball that would have caused him to fall:
This is a foul in 2024 and the NBA wonders why ratings are at an all time low
— GiannisMuse 💫🦌 (@GiannisMuse) November 16, 2024
The call, despite being incorrect, put Ball at the free throw line with the Hornets down one. He made both free throws, ultimately winning the game for Charloette and dropping Milwaukee to 4-9 on the season.
After the game, Rivers went off on the referees for their phantom foul call.
Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Doc Rivers Goes Off on Referees for Their Foul Call on Giannis
As one may recall, the Bucks were in a similar situation in their previous game, a win against the Detroit Pistons that saw Giannis score 59 points in an overtime thriller.
However, the game almost did not go to overtime.
In a similar fashion, Giannis was called for a foul with a second remaining in regulation when he cleanly blocked a lob attempt that would have given Detroit the lead. However, Detroit’s 19-year-old rookie, Ronald Holland II missed both free throws, allowing Milwaukee to win in overtime.
They were not so fortunate against the Hornets, and Rivers was clearly frustrated with how the referees have treated his star player in the last two games:
https://t.co/5dTls9nA6s pic.twitter.com/SvIYHOynDZ
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) November 16, 2024
“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.
“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.”
The Bucks did not have a challenge left, otherwise they would have used it. And they would have won both it and the game.
Afterwards, referee Curtis 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.”
It is very frustrating to lose a game in such a manner, dictated by the human error of the refs. As Rivers mentioned, this is the second game in a row that this has happened.
Additionally, it was an official whose careless arm waving resulted in Damian Lillard being hit in the face and sustaining a concussion.
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