The NBA Opener had some drama as the Houston Rockets' Kevin Durant called a timeout when the team had none remaining. But the referees did not see the gesture. Now, an L2M report admits to missing the call.
After securing the rebound, Durant (HOU) signals for a timeout, the report noted. But it is not seen by the officials. If recognized, a technical foul would have been assessed to HOU for an excessive timeout.
It marred what was the first game for the star with his new team since Durant signed a two-year contract with the Rockets. Notably, it gave Durant a Chris Webber moment, as the former star gained notoriety for calling a timeout with none left.
This gaffe also left a lot of controversy in what was a back-and-forth Rockets-Thunder battle. At the time of the incident, the game was tied with two seconds left. Had the officials seen the mistake, they would have awarded the Thunder a free throw on a technical foul. But officials did not see Durant's timeout, and the Rockets tried to win the game in the second overtime.
Fans were not buying it, with many on social media reacting to the mistake. ClkutchPoints National NBA Insider Brett Siegel recapped what happened, indicating that it was simply an issue of the referees not seeing the timeout call.
“The NBA has said in the L2M report that Kevin Durant signaled for a timeout at the conclusion of the first overtime period in OKC last night, but it was not seen by the officials,” Siegel wrote. “This was deemed an incorrect call, and a technical foul should have been assessed.”
