The Milwaukee Bucks continue to struggle. They suffered another defeat at the Charlotte Hornets, and in the end it was the referees who cost the Bucks the game.
Two free throws by LaMelo Ball were the deciding points for Charlotte in the final seconds of the game, with the referees calling a contact with Giannis Antetokounmpo, allowing the point guard to take a free throw. A mistake, as head referee Chris Blair admitted after the game.
“During the game, we whistled because the players’ legs touched,” Blair explained after the game. ‘When we looked at the scene again after the game, we didn’t see any illegal contact.’
It didn’t matter to Ball, who made the two free throws to give the Bucks their ninth loss of the season. Coach Doc Rivers was understandably annoyed. “This is the second game in a row where there’s been a bad call at the end,” said Rivers angrily. ”He just went down, nobody was near him. We should have got the ball and then the game would have been over in our favor. (…) The referee had poor visibility, he couldn’t see it. You can’t just blow the whistle on suspicion at the end.”
Rivers also mentioned the game in Detroit a few days ago, when a questionable foul was called against Antetokounmpo shortly before the end. However, Pistons rookie Ron Holland missed both free throws and the Bucks went on to win in overtime. In the NBA’s last-two-minutes report, it was also admitted that it was not a punishable offense.
NBA: Antetokounmpo would rather not say anything
Antetokounmpo himself did not want to comment on the scene. “Rule number one: don’t waste your money. And rule number 2: don’t forget rule number one,” said the Greek, alluding to the fact that he didn’t want to say anything to avoid a penalty from the NBA.
The forward recorded a triple-double with 22 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists in Charlotte, but it was not enough without Damian Lillard (concussion) and Khris Middleton (knee). With a record of 4-9, the ambitious Bucks are only twelfth in the Eastern Conference.
