The tipoff of the NBA season on Tuesday came with plenty of action — and some late-game controversy.
With the Rockets and Thunder going back-and-forth in a game that went to double overtime, one mistake by Houston’s Kevin Durant in the first OT could have ended things, but the officials missed it.
After Houston’s Tari Eason blocked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 18-foot jump shot with 2.2 seconds left in the first extra period and the game tied at 115-115, Durant corralled the rebound and appeared to signal for a timeout.
But Houston did not have any left.
That would have meant a technical free throw and possession for the host Thunder, allowing them to potentially ice the game away.
But the referees did not make the call, and the clock ran out to send the game to a second overtime, despite the Thunder arguing over what appeared to be a brutal missed call.
Crew chief Zach Zarba said there was one reason the call was not made — the officials didn’t see it.
“None of the three game officials saw Kevin signal that timeout,” the referee said in a pool report interview. “That’s why it wasn’t granted before the expiration of time.”
It brought back memories of Chris Webber pulling the same mistake in the 1993 NCAA championship game that all but sealed a loss for the University of Michigan against North Carolina. That infraction, though, was called, unlike Durant’s on Tuesday night.
The missed call didn’t end up hurting the Thunder, however, as they won a 125-124 double overtime thriller to start their NBA title defense behind Gilgeous-Alexander’s team-high 35 points.
His two free throws with 2.3 seconds left sealed the victory.
