Refs admit missed foul on 76ers’ final drive in loss to Clips

PHILADELPHIA — Following the Clippers‘ 108-107 win over the 76ers on Wednesday night time, crew chief Kevin Scott mentioned in a pool report that there ought to have been a foul referred to as on a drive by 76ers ahead Kelly Oubre Jr. on the sport’s final play.

“On the last play on the floor, in real time the crew interpreted that play as the defender jumping vertically,” Scott mentioned. “However, in postgame video assessment we did observe some slight drift to his left by the defender [Paul] George, and a foul ought to have been dominated.”

The play capped a chaotic final minute of motion, one which noticed a number of critiques, a wedgie that resulted in a leap ball, two pricey 76ers turnovers, a pair of and-1s by Clippers star Kawhi Leonard and, in the end, Oubre’s drive that resulted in him mendacity on the bottom because the Clippers celebrated a wanted victory in James Harden‘s first sport in South Philly since being traded.

Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse stormed onto the courtroom to dispute the non-call and had to be restrained by his assistants. Oubre additionally jumped into the combination, pointing at every of the three officers — Scott, JB DeRosa and Brandon Adair — earlier than being pulled away.

“First and foremost, heat of the moment,” Oubre mentioned when requested about his actions after the sport. “This is an intense basketball game, of course. And we’re not perfect. The refs aren’t perfect. I want to apologize for just losing my cool, because that’s something I try to work on each and every day, and try to represent God in the best way I possibly can, and that wasn’t it. So I just ask for forgiveness.

“But I noticed Coach Nurse getting riled up and if our coach goes to combat for us and he is going there, then I’m proper behind him. But on the finish of the day, it wasn’t cool. So I’ll take no matter penalties include that and you’ve got to transfer on, however I acquired to be higher in a way.”

For his part, Nurse admitted the 76ers contributed to their own demise.

“Well, at 104-101, we had the ball sideline, [and] Tyrese [Maxey] breaks into the backcourt broad open, slips and falls, and so they get an and-1 out of that,” Nurse said. “We come down and rating, they’re full-court press and so they knock one off of Kelly out of bounds.”

But Nurse also said some late calls should have gone the other way.

“I feel [Oubre] took it in there fairly laborious,” Nurse said. “I checked out it on our computer systems a pair occasions. I assumed it was definitely contact, definitely as a lot of the final two or three that acquired referred to as and-1s on the different finish.

“I thought it was enough contact to call. [But] that’s the way it goes sometimes.”

For each groups, the top of the sport took on a desperation befitting of their latest play. Philadelphia is now 13-26 this season when taking part in with out the NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player, Joel Embiid, who continues to inch closer to a return from the process he had on his left lateral meniscus seven weeks in the past.

With the loss, the 76ers at the moment are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, having missed an opportunity to make up floor on the sixth-place Indiana Pacers, who misplaced to Chicago on Wednesday.

“I keep saying the same thing,” Maxey mentioned. “I know every time we step on the floor trying to win, but if we’re able to get Big Fella back, we just need to be stepping in the right direction. I feel like whoever we play come playoff time or whatever the situation is, I feel like we have a great opportunity and a great chance with him on our team.

“So us, the opposite guys, we have now to be stepping in the suitable route, doing all of the little issues and going on the market and taking part in extraordinarily aggressive on protection and taking part in the suitable approach, so when he does come again, we are able to proceed ahead.”

The Clippers, meanwhile, were coming off a pair of losses at home to the 76ers and Pacers and beginning a four-game East Coast trip Wednesday, having fallen into a dogfight not just for their current fourth position in the West but also only a couple of games ahead of the play-in spots.

All of that overshadowed Harden’s first game back in Philadelphia since the trade, as the future Hall of Famer finished with 16 points and 14 assists in 39 minutes. He was booed during introductions and the first quarter, but as the game went on, his return faded into the background of what became a competitive game with a frenetic finish.

“I anticipated it,” Harden said of the reaction. “I do not actually know what it is about, however I anticipated it.

“It is what it is. I don’t know why they were booing.”