The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, 108-107. Of course, it wasn't that simple.
The end of the game created a flashpoint that had Nick Nurse and Kelly Oubre confronting the referees after two no-calls.
Nurse had to be held back. Oubre had a NSFW message for each ref.
Sixers arenāt really playing for anything any more. Why bother holding Nick Nurse back? Curious what he would have done. That was flat out theft by the officials. pic.twitter.com/osDIsKawUZ
ā Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) March 28, 2024
If you want to know what NSFW things Twitter thinks Oubre was saying you can certainly find out.
Why were they so angry?
Refs swallowed their whistles on two potentially game-changing plays for the 76ers
Oubre had the chance to win the game off a jump ball with five seconds remaining but he tried to lay it up by going through Paul George. Nurse and company thought there should have been a foul called.
Describe this final possession in one word: ______ pic.twitter.com/aHIWDKhkuO
ā NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) March 28, 2024
Replays showed that Oubre didn't get his shot off before the buzzer. There was contact, but it's very open to interpretation whether that one should have been called a foul.
However, the possession that led to the jump ball was even more controversial. Because Kawhi Leonard pretty clearly made contact with Oubre's arm while going up to block.
KAWHI BLOCKS OUBRE WITH 5 SECONDS LEFT TO SEAL THE GAMEš
ā Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) March 28, 2024
K L U T C H@LAClippers | #ClipperNationļæ¼ pic.twitter.com/5ZG3sgcEOM
Not usually the one to complain about the officiating, but itās obviously Kawhi makes contact with Kelly Oubreās arm and not the ball on the first block at the end of the game.
ā Philly Sixers Galaxy (@sixers_galaxy) March 28, 2024
Frustrating to say the least. pic.twitter.com/rGjXoErRaJ
A foul called then would have put Oubre on the line with a chance to take the lead with 5.1 seconds remaining.
So Oubre and Nurse might have been justified in their anger, even if the end-of-game contact wasn't there best argument for being robbed.
"[Oubre] took it in there pretty hard," Nurse told the media after the game. "There was certainly contact, certainly as much as the last 2 or 3 that got called and-ones at the other end. I just thought it was enough contact to call.ā
The and-ones Nurse referred to came courtesy of Leonard, who completed two 3-point plays in the final 44 seconds of the game.
The 76ers, who led by as many as 15, will rue the way this one ended. They dropped to 39-34, sitting at No. 8 and half a game behind the Heat in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Clippers improved to 45-27, still in the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference with a one-game lead on the Pelicans.