Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns lost their showdown with the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday after Victor Wembanyama and co. staged a wild 20-point comeback. However, it isn't without controversy, with many fans believing that the Spurs' final shot of the game shouldn't have happened in the first place because Durant was fouled.
In the final seconds of the game, Keldon Johnson stole the ball from Durant after an inbound pass. The Spurs mobbed the Suns star after he got the ball, providing an opportunity for Johnson to jump from behind and take the ball. The 24-year-old then proceeded to the rim and score the tough bucket to give San Antonio the 115-114 lead and eventual win.
As mentioned, though, many expressed belief that there should have been a foul call on Johnson over his steal from Durant. KD himself thought he was fouled and was seemingly shocked by the no-call, raising his hand in confusion after the steal.
Suns coach Frank Vogel didn't hide his disappointment over the no-call as well, emphasizing in his postgame presser that “they fouled him. The refs didn't call it.”
NBA L2M Report settles Suns-Spurs controversy
Amid all the backlash that the NBA and its referees are receiving over the controversial ending of the Suns-Spurs game, the league released its L2M Report to settle all the discussions surrounding it.
Apparently, the referees made the right call, as the NBA found no foul on Johnson in his steal that led to the game-winning bucket. The league also clarified the contact that Tre Jones made on Durant while trying to hound the Suns forward. When Jones hit Durant, it was deemed as an incidental body contact because KD also turned and stepped. When Jones was reaching for the ball, the NBA deemed it as a marginal contact.
Based on the video replays as well, it's definitely difficult to call for a foul in the situation since it definitely looked like a normal tough defense. Johnson's strip of Durant was also really clear.
Sure enough, though, Suns fans wouldn't like the assessment made on the NBA L2M Report. After all, it's quite the brutal loss for the Suns considering that they led by as much as 20 points in the third quarter. They were also up by five in the final minute of the game.
Regardless of what the L2M Report said, however, there nothing Phoenix can do anyway since the results are irreversible. In the end, the Suns can only move on and hope for a bounce-back game when they play the Spurs again on Thursday.
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