Following the Philadelphia 76ers’ Wednesday night loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, NBA officials acknowledged that a missed foul that left player Kelly Oubre Jr. and head coach Nick Nurse visibly furious should have been called.
Referee Kevin Scott acknowledged that there was a missed foul call in the final seconds of the Clippers’ 108-107 victory over the Sixers, which would have sent Oubre to the foul line with 0.2 seconds left to win the game.
In a pool report that the NBA gave to reporters an hour after the game, Scott stated that Paul George of the Clippers made contact with Oubre, who was driving and holding the ball, before the play-ending time ran out on the game’s last play.
“In real time the crew interpreted that play as the defender jumping vertically,” Scott said. “However, in post-game video review we did observe some slight drift to his left by the defender George, and a foul should have been ruled.”
When the horn went off, Scott, JB DeRosa, Brandon Adair, and Sixers coach Nick Nurse were the first to rush onto the court to confront Oubre.
“I looked it on our computer screen a couple times (and) I thought there was certainly contact,” Nurse said after the game. “Certainly as much as the last two or three that got called and-1s at the other end. And that’s all. I just thought it was enough contact to call. But that’s the way it goes sometimes.”
Oubre perceived an overall imbalance in the number of calls.
“There was absolute contact, but they were calling those calls for those guys,” he said. “They were getting and-1s and they were changing the game in that aspect. And then we get to our side and they didn’t see any contact.”
He expressed regret for approaching the officials as well.
“In the heat of the moment in an intense basketball game of course and we’re not perfect. The refs are not perfect,” he said. “I want to apologize for losing my cool, because that’s something I work on each and every day and trying to represent God in the best way that I can. And that wasn’t it.”
James Harden ultimately prevailed on his comeback to Philadelphia.
The 76ers have struggled without last season’s MVP Joel Embiid, but they are still in eighth place in the Eastern Conference and are vying for improved postseason positioning.
Averaging 35.3 points and 11.5 rebounds this season, Embiid has not appeared in a game since sustaining a meniscus injury against Golden State on January 30 that necessitated surgery on February 6. With Embiid’s injury, the Sixers have a 10–17 record. This season, the squad is 26-8 when he is on the field and 13-26 when he is not.
Before Wednesday’s game, Nurse stated that Embiid has begun working out on the court and the team hoped to have him back before the postseason.
“I think there’s a very good likelihood that he will return before the playoffs,” the nurse stated.