First, the referees didn’t call a foul on James Harden’s three-pointer to tie the game with 33 seconds left. Tim Hardaway Jr. took away Harden’s landing space on the jumper, which usually is called a defensive foul.
The foul didn’t come, and that was supposedly the correct call.
The Last Two Minute Report states: “Harden (CLE) abnormally extends his leg as he returns to the floor to create the marginal lower body contact with Hardaway Jr. (DEN).”
I’m not sure if I agree with that one. Harden does extend his legs out when he’s shooting, but Hardaway is landing exactly where Harden took off from.
Moving on, the NBA also agrees that Donovan Mitchell was fouled by Jamal Murray on his drive with less than a second left. These two free throws led to the Cleveland victory.
Murray was late to the spot, but that’s a tough foul in that moment. A no-call would’ve been acceptable given the situation.
The NBA did confirm that there was one missed call in the final two minutes.
Jaylon Tyson should’ve been whistled for a three-second violation on a late Nikola Jokic turnover. From the replay, it’s clear that Tyson was camped out in the lane, and you can hear someone on the court yelling out that it should’ve been a three-second violation.
All in all, the Cavs don’t have much to complain about here, especially after they got the win.
