A controversial missed call stained a quality Utah Jazz-Portland Trail Blazers match-up on Friday night. The referees failed to call a goaltending violation by Jazz center Rudy Gobert on Blazers star Damian Lillard's potential game-tying lay-up down the stretch. This ultimately cost Portland the game, as the Jazz came out on top, 117-114.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban isn't surprised about what happened on Friday, referring to one of their games last week where officials allegedly missed three goaltends in a quarter.
https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/1226139567058825216
Cuban isn't one to stay mum on things like these, and he certainly didn't hold back here.
Several other players around the league expressed their distaste for the missed call, including Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic.
That’s all folks pic.twitter.com/R0pGTUPwt3
— Jusuf Nurkić (@bosnianbeast27) February 8, 2020
But no one was more infuriated than Lillard himself. The Blazers star's massive 42-point night just went down the drain.
Lillard went on a massive post-game rant about how the officiating went throughout the entire contest. Ultimately, the non-call was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Dame had a chance to tie the game for Portland when he drove to the basket with less than 20 ticks remaining. Gobert eventually chased him down from behind and blocked the shot. However, it was clear that the ball had already hit the backboard before he swatted it away.
The officials eventually issued a statement, admitting their mistake. But clearly, there is nothing they can do about it now. And there's obviously nothing the Blazers can as well do but to move on from the heartbreaking defeat.
Nonetheless, the ninth seed Blazers are still within striking distance of the no. 8 spot Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference playoff race.
Follow Us
Subscribe