Doc Rivers got heated after his Milwaukee Bucks were burned by a phantom foul call late in Saturday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Hornets had possession and trailed the Bucks 114-113 with 19.1 seconds left at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. Hornets guard LaMelo Ball made his move against Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo from the top of the key with about 10 seconds left.
The referees called a foul on Antetokounmpo as Ball slipped on his way to the paint. But replays showed that Giannis hardly touched LaMelo. Even the Hornets’ play-by-play announcer said that Ball “tripped on his own Pumas.”
“LaMelo tripped on his own pumas” – Hornets Commentators pic.twitter.com/iwkuApkeuR
— Follow HeavenlyBuckets (@heavenlybuckets) November 16, 2024
The Bucks had already used up their coach’s challenge at that point. Ball went to the line and sank both free throws to give the Hornets a 115-114 win.
Rivers was incredulous about the call during live action and stayed that way during his postgame press conference. He sounded more and more exasperated as his rant against the referees went on.
“I thought the final play was the ref blowing a call,” said Rivers bluntly. “This is back-to-back games now where on the final play, there’s been an incorrect call made. LaMelo Ball fell. He just fell down. Nobody was near him. Slipped on his own. [If] we come up with the ball, the game is over … there was clearly not a foul. When you watch the video, the ref that called the foul was blocked out by one of our players. You can’t guess at the end of a game … you can’t guess!”
#Bucks HC Doc Rivers on tonight’s loss to the Hornets👇
“I thought the final play was the ref blowing the call.”pic.twitter.com/kd8JWeZkYX
— 97.3 The Game (@TheGameMKE) November 16, 2024
Rivers also harped on Antetokounmpo only being awarded one free throw on the night. The Hornets attempted 21 total free throws compared to the Bucks’ 11.
Crew chief Curtis Blair later admitted in the pool report that the referees indeed got the call wrong. They determined that there was “no illegal contact” from Antetokounmpo on the play. The admission, however, does not change the sour result for Rivers and the Bucks.
The wrong call dropped the Bucks to 4-9 as their nightmare season continues.
