Trail Blazers Official Files Protest Against NBA Referee After Disheartening Defeat vs OKC

With a season record of 12-31, the Portland Trail Blazers recently met one of the frontrunners in the West, Oklahoma City Thunder. In the previous game between the two, Oklahoma never allowed them a chance at home. However, things took a different turn in the recent game. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued his MVP-caliber plays, Portland heavily relied on three-pointers. After a scorching second quarter, the Trail Blazers answered every punch from OKC with a counter. At a point in the fourth quarter, the teams were battling for a single-point lead between them.

However, as the game approached its final minute, things quickly turned ugly. After a heated altercation with the referees, their head coach, Chauncey Billups, was ejected from the game, ultimately leading to the downfall of the Blazers. Given their lower ranks in the league, any win will be a huge boost to their overall morale. With that, they are diverting their expectations away from the basketball court.

According to NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Portland is on its way to file a protest with the NBA office to challenge the result of the game against OKC. The Trail Blazers claim that their head coach, Chauncey Billups, had called for a timeout before one of the officials whistled for a double dribble against them. A pivotal stop in the close game that ended up in a turnover: ultimately igniting the altercation.

The league will have the final say on the Blazers’ stance. However, even if they are declared correct, chances are that the league will not overturn the final results of the game. While post-game stat correction is common, it typically focuses on player and team stats rather than altering the outcome of the game.

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What ignites the Trail Blazers’ protest?

With the Blazers holding a one-point lead at 109-108, they had the opportunity to close out the game, leaving little to no time for OKC due to a 1-second differential between the shot clock and game clock. However, Malcolm Brogdon found himself trapped near the ref table at half-court, struggling against the double team. Noticing this, Chauncey Billups called for a timeout. However, because the referee had his back turned on him, this led to the missed timeout. With that, Brogdon was called for a double dribble just seconds later.

As Billups passionately presented his case, he was issued a technical foul. As he continued, moments later, he received another one, leading to his ejection. OKC was granted a free throw and possession of the ball. They tied the game and went on to secure the win on the next possession.

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