The Portland Trail Blazers went toe-to-toe with the Oklahoma City Thunder, a stark contrast from the manner they performed in their prior matchup wherein they took a 62-point drubbing. In fact, in the dying embers of the game, the Blazers were in position to win the game after Anfernee Simons nailed a three-pointer to give Portland a 109-106 lead.
Alas, what ensued for the Blazers after that was a comedy of errors. After allowing the Thunder to pull within one thanks to a Jalen Williams jumper, OKC forced a Malcolm Brogdon double dribble turnover. But that play wasn't without its fair share of controversy. Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups became irate after officials failed to call timeout despite his fervent protestations. As a result, Billups drew two technical fouls in rapid succession, forcing an ejection. This gave the Thunder a chance to win the game, which they did in taking a 111-109 victory.
Blazers fans are livid because it seemed like it was clear that the Portland contingent was able to call for a pause in the action amid the Thunder's double team of Brogdon. One angle of the play shows that Billups, indeed, was screaming for a timeout way before the official called an infraction on the veteran guard.
Clear video for the NBA and the NBA Refs to know just how badly this was botched. Both a player and a coach calling for a clear timeout with possession of the ball 4 feet away.
This is just failure to do your job. Nothing more. https://t.co/QmnwQZdmbI
— Danny Marang (@DannyMarang) January 24, 2024
Some contend that the responsibility to call timeout fell on Malcolm Brogdon and the other Blazers players' shoulders. After all, it was clear that Brogdon still had possession of the basketball, and he could have taken a timeout had it crossed his mind in a pressure-packed situation.
Chauncey Billups wasn't within the referees' line of sight, so it was difficult for them to grant Billups' timeout request. Nevertheless, that would not provide any sort of comfort for a Blazers team that has found it difficult to win ballgames this season.
Still, even though the Blazers had poor luck on the play, they still had a chance to take the game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed one of the two technical free throws he took, which left the game tied at 109 with 15 seconds to go. But Jalen Williams sunk the go-ahead shot and the Blazers fumbled the final play, putting a cap on what was a rough stretch for the team.
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