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Things got crazy at the end of the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets game, where the referees thought that head coach Taylor Jenkins called a timeout, but he actually didn't.
Fred VanVleet missed a three-pointer with the Rockets leading by one, with 15 seconds left on the clock, Jaylen Wells grabbed the rebound and was about to get a fastbreak layup. That's when the referee called a timeout when Jenkins never signaled for one. That caused Jenkins to explode on the sideline, but luckily, the Grizzlies were still able to win the game.
After the game, a pool report was done by Grizzlies reporter Damichael Cole, and the question was asked about the stoppage of play where the ref called the timeout.
“The official thought he heard Coach (Jenkins) yell timeout from behind him and so he awarded the timeout. But after realizing that Coach Jenkins didn't (call timeout) it becomes an inadvertent whistle and we put the ball on the side out in that scenario,” the pool report stated.
If the Grizzlies didn't end up winning that game, things may have probably gotten uglier, and there's a good chance they would have gone to the league to file a grievance.
Grizzlies' Taylor Jenkins explains final seconds of game vs. Rockets
After the game, Taylor Jenkins explained that he was motioning the team to run on the fast break instead of calling a timeout, which is where the referee was most likely confused.
“That's what I motioned, that's what I said, that's what I told the team to do,” Jenkins said. “We'll see what the two-minute report or if the league says anything. My intention was not to call a timeout, I said, ‘Go go go.' I wasn't even signaling a timeout.”
With the two-minute report saying that they thought they heard Jenkins yell a timeout, it was a big call that could've changed the entire outcome of the game. The Grizzlies walked away with a 120-119 win after Jaren Jackson Jr. was fouled and knocked down two free throws, and Fred VanVleet couldn't hit the game-winning shot for the Rockets.
The Grizzlies and Rockets have had some good battles this season, as both teams are atop the Western Conference. It did look like the Rockets were on their way to winning, but the Grizzlies didn't give up and kept fighting to the end, regardless of what happened to the referee blowing an inadvertent whistle.
