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[Jolly Sports News] Doc Rivers was fuming after his Milwaukee Bucks fell victim to a controversial foul call in the closing moments of Saturday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets.
With 19.1 seconds left and the Hornets trailing 114-113, LaMelo Ball drove against Giannis Antetokounmpo near the top of the key. As Ball slipped heading toward the paint, referees called a foul on Antetokounmpo, though replays clearly showed minimal to no contact. Even Charlotte’s play-by-play announcer admitted Ball had “tripped on his own Pumas.”
Unable to challenge the call, as they had already used their coach’s challenge earlier, the Bucks could only watch as Ball sank both free throws, sealing a 115-114 win for the Hornets.
Rivers expressed his frustration during the postgame press conference, growing more agitated as he dissected the officiating.
“I thought the final play was the ref blowing a call,” Rivers said. “This is back-to-back games now where incorrect calls have decided the outcome. LaMelo Ball fell—he just fell down. Nobody was near him. If we come up with the ball, the game is over. There was clearly no foul. You can’t guess at the end of a game.”
Rivers also criticized the lack of free-throw opportunities for Antetokounmpo, who was awarded just one all night, compared to the Hornets’ 21 attempts.
Postgame, crew chief Curtis Blair admitted in the pool report that the foul on Antetokounmpo was a mistake, stating there was “no illegal contact.” However, the acknowledgment did little to ease Rivers’ frustration or change the outcome.
The loss dropped the Bucks to 4-9, deepening the woes of what has been a nightmare season for Rivers’ squad.
