The Oklahoma City Thunder pulled out a narrow 107-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals Sunday night.
However, the NBA is now admitting that the officials in the game made a critical mistake in the waning moments of the game.
In those final minutes, Thunder center Kendrick Perkins tipped in a missed Russell Westbrook shot. The problem here is Perkins’ hand appeared to touch the rim while the ball was on the cylinder.
Monday, the NBA issued a statement on the missed call.
“Kendrick Perkins was improperly credited with a basket that should have been ruled offensive basket interference with 1:05 remaining in last night’s game,” according to the statement. “Although a player is permitted to touch the net while the ball is in the cylinder above the rim, Perkins also touched the ball while it was still in the cylinder which is a violation and constitutes goaltending.”
Source: The Sporting News