The Milwaukee Bucks did a lot of things poorly in the closing seconds of regulation and overtime in losing 119-118 to the Indiana Pacers on April 29 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, but the NBA admitted on April 30 that the Bucks, in fact, were called for a foul they shouldn’t have been.
The NBA reviews every foul called in the final two minutes of every game and sends out officiating reports the following day. The league determined a foul called on Bucks guard AJ Green was the only “incorrect call” in the final two minutes.
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) reacts during a timeout in front of Bucks guard AJ Green during Game 5 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday.
In explaining that decision the league wrote, “Green (MIL) maintains a legal guarding position alongside of Haliburton (IND) during his drive to the basket and shot attempt.”
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And what a blown call that turned out to be.
With 17.1 seconds left in overtime and the Bucks leading, 118-114, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton turned the corner and got into the paint for a layup. Green was whistled on the play, despite the appearance of minimal contact – specifically in the context of the physical play allowed by both teams throughout the game.
Haliburton made the free throw to make it 118-117, setting up the final seconds that led to a Bucks turnover and a Haliburton game-winning and series-clinching layup.
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For his part, Green owned up to the whistle after the game.
“I can’t foul,” Green said. “I gotta keep the ball in front better, contain it better. I think we could help each other better, too. You know he’s going to take the shots and he’s a good player, he made ‘em. Just gotta make it harder.”
It is the second high profile admission of a wrong call that eventually led to a Bucks loss this season. On Nov. 16 in Charlotte, the officiating crew immediately said it made a wrong call on a foul that led to a Hornets victory. Bucks head coach Doc Rivers was fined for his postgame comments about the play.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: NBA admits wrong call on Bucks late in OT loss to Pacers