If you’ve heard this before, stop: The Chicago Bulls were on the wrong side of a missed call late in Saturday’s 103-102 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
According to the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report on the contest, Caris Levert should have been called for a shooting foul on DeMar DeRozan with 2.6 seconds left on the floater that could have put the Bulls ahead by one. It was the only missed call in the last two minutes of regulation.
“Lebert made contact with DeRozan’s left arm, which affected the release of his jump shot attempt,” the report reads.
Interestingly, neither DeRozan nor Bulls coach Billy Donovan even hinted at the possibility of missed calls when repeatedly asked about play after the game. Instead, Donovan stressed that the action created in the team’s previous timeout did not materialize, while DeRozan admitted to “interrupting play” based on a live read he gave, but He added that he was happy with the shots he turned off.
“(It) felt like a clean look,” he said. “I got there, I felt like I was on the line. It felt good. I didn’t feel like I was in front of me.I got over everyone and got to the rim.It was on the” line, just hemmed. ”
If the pain of a missed no-call swing is familiar to Bulls fans, there’s a reason.
It is the second time this season that DeRozan has been denied an opportunity to win a game on a free throw due to a no-call mistake. The first was against the Wizards on Oct. 21, in a 102-100 loss to the Bulls, in which the final two-minute report ruled DeRozan was fouled on a potential game-winning 3-point attempt. was done.
But so is life when you live on the edge. In 19 of the Bulls’ 36 games this season, they’ve been within five points within five minutes of the fourth quarter. They now have a record of 7-12 in such contests.
The silver lining is that there’s an immediate chance of redemption when the Bulls visit the Cavaliers for a rematch on Monday. Cleveland is 2-0 against the Bulls so far this season.
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