Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard dodged what many believed should have been a hefty fine coming his way.
On Saturday, the NBA confirmed that they will not penalize the 29-year-old guard for his postgame tirade and ensuing scathing tweets against officials following his team's controversial 117-114 loss to the Utah Jazz last Friday.
An infuriated Lillard went off on referees who blatantly missed a goaltending call against Jazz center Rudy Gobert in the dying seconds of the game. The critical play eventually cost the Blazers the game, as it would have tied the contest with just a few ticks remaining on the clock.
“We get to the last play of the game, and they miss an easy call,” Lillard, who had 42 points in the losing effort, said. “And then they tell us that's an easy no-call, like that was obviously not a goaltend. It cost us a f—ing game, man.”
Lillard's expletive tirade continued after the game, venting his ire on Twitter following the NBA's explanation of the missed call.
We don’t wana hear this punk Ass shit. https://t.co/nuG56kaHbR
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) February 8, 2020
One Twitter user pointed out that he will be fined big, to which Lillard responded by saying he has a lot of money. The five-time Blazers All-Star also got into it with Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell on Twitter shortly after the physical match.
Portland is currently outside of the playoff hunt (ninth place in the Western Conference standings) with a 24-29 slate. They team is on a tight race with the Memphis Grizzlies and the San Antonio Spurs for that eighth and final playoff spot.
The NBA, meanwhile, likely opted not to fine Damian Lillard to make up for that horrible missed call.
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