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The end of the Milwaukee Bucks’ 101-100 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday may have played out differently if the officials made the correct call on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s clutch defensive play.
As Eric Nehm of The Athletic shared, the NBA’s last-two minute report revealed Antetokounmpo caught the ball out of bounds after his late block on Alperen Şengün. Yet officials did not call him out of bounds, and Damian Lillard hit the game-winner on the ensuing Milwaukee possession.
Eric Nehm @eric_nehm
After two Last 2-Minute Reports showing incorrect calls against the Bucks, the Bucks were the beneficiary of an “incorrect non-call” on today’s Last 2-Minute Report (https://t.co/U34sUFxDFe)
The NBA says Giannis Antetokounmpo caught the ball out of bounds after his clutch block. pic.twitter.com/OHDTaOCnYh
It happened so quickly that the Rockets on the floor didn’t even protest the non-call as they were getting back on defense. The broadcast also didn’t mention anything at the moment.
Yet it set the stage for one of the most memorable sequences of the early season for a Bucks team that needs positive momentum following a slow start. The win improved Milwaukee’s overall record to 5-9, although it is 3-1 in the last four as it starts to play at a higher level.
The block was one of three for Antetokounmpo, who also tallied 20 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. Lillard largely struggled with his shot at 6-of-18 from the field, but he had 10 assists and made the winning shot in crunch time.
Houston still had the opportunity to counter with its own winner in the final seconds, but it was unable to convert.
While the Rockets will surely be frustrated to learn the officials made the incorrect no-call during the end of their loss, they can at least take solace knowing the season is off to an ideal start.
They are 10-5 on the campaign and won five in a row prior to Monday’s defeat. The combination of Jalen Green, Şengün and Fred VanVleet has played well, and there are seven Rockets in all who are averaging double-figure scoring totals in the early going.
That type of balanced attack should help Houston remain a threat in the Western Conference playoff picture even if it has to overcome adversity such as poor officiating down the stretch of a close game against a potential Eastern Conference contender.
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