The Los Angeles Clippers lost in a closely contested road matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday evening, dampening the excitement of All-Star forward Paul George's debut. However, a crucial call was missed that went in the Pelicans' favor, per ClutchPoints' Tomer Azarly.
The NBA’s Last 2 Minute Report from Clippers-Pelicans was clean with the exception of one pretty obvious missed call: Derrick Favors should’ve been called for goaltending with 1:30 remaining and L.A. down 6. Clips players asked for at least a call/review, but didn’t get it. pic.twitter.com/2HGpCBKYR2
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) November 15, 2019
A tip-in from veteran power forward Derrick Favors of New Orleans extended the Pels' inside-two-minutes lead to eight points. Los Angeles outscored NOLA 11-8 in the final 90 seconds of the game. Without Favors' tip-in, the margin would have been a single possession, possibly changing the outcome of the game.
In the video, it's clear Favors touched the ball while it was still above the cylinder, resting on the rim. The NBA prohibits this; it's offensive interference in this case, while FIBA rules dictate players are allowed to touch the ball above the cylinder.
The NBA's “Last 2 Minute Report” has been implemented to shed light into major calls at the end of games, and it has opened a can of worms into investigating wrong calls or no calls that may have impacted the matchup one way or another.
The wrong non-call on the officials' part on Thursday comes on the heels of a previous game the referees messed up, working in favor of L.A.'s opponent. The Houston Rockets defeated the Clippers on Wednesday, with the Last 2 Minute Report indicating L.A. guard Patrick Beverley was incorrectly assessed a sixth foul, which ejected him from the game.
Although the Rockets wound up winning the game by nine points, the back-to-back blown calls going against the Clips is potentially alarming.
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