Surrounded by thousands who celebrated what they thought was a game-winner, Phenizee Ransom cosplayed as Eoyore. His whistle’s high-pitch zap was inaudible in the chaotic scene. But Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s demoralized body language hinted at what happened to the OKC crowd.
Tied at 101 points apiece, Gilgeous-Alexander intercepted Daniss Jenkins’ pass. He had 12 seconds to cook up another MVP-esque moment. On an island with Javonte Green, the reigning MVP created enough space to knock down the stepback 3-pointer with four seconds left.
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What a finish. Gilgeous-Alexander scored the game-winner to help avoid the consequential upset. Instead, his clutch-time bucket was wiped away with an offensive foul. While technically correct, it was quite the gutsy call to make at that juncture of the game.
Alas, no harm happened. The Oklahoma City Thunder survived an upset attempt with a 114-110 overtime win over the Detroit Pistons. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 47 points on 12-of-19 shooting and went 21-of-25 on free throws.
A day later, the L2M Report backed up the controversial call. Shouldn’t be a shocker. In the report, it stated: “Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) extends his off-arm into Green (DET) and delivers contact that affects his ability to defend.”
In terms of mistakes made, only one happened — and it favored the Thunder. Jaylin Williams got away with a shooting foul on Jenkins at the 1:20 mark of the fourth quarter. The incorrect non-call was described: “Williams (OKC) lowers his left arm and initiates contact with Jenkins’ (DET) arm that affects his shot attempt.”
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And that’s all from the L2M report. Honestly, not bad. Especially considering how high-stakes things were from the Thunder. Their margin for error is paper-thin the rest of the way. They can’t afford to drop a gimme with the San Antonio Spurs right behind them for the first seed.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: L2M Report: Was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s offensive foul the correct call?