The final two seconds between the Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings were thrilling, but a “clock malfunction” has created an uproar.
On Sunday night, the Raptors fell to the Kings 102-99 after Terrence Ross had his game-tying three waved off. It was a clean shot that made tickled the twine before the buzzer sounded, but only because the clock wasn’t started at the right time. It’s safe to say, Dwane Casey and all of his players were irate following the game.
DeMarcus Cousins tipped the inbounds pass which is why Ross had to scramble to collect the ball around mid-court. The clock didn’t start when he touched it, though. Therefore, the refs drew the conclusion that Ross’ shot shouldn’t have counted.
The NBA’s official Twitter account backed up the referees, who deemed the shot no-good upon further review.
(2/2) Ruling: Clock started late and should have run to 0.0 before Ross' shot released.
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) November 21, 2016
Following the loss, Casey was not pleased by the officials’ decision not to let the shot count and go into overtime. “The explanation was there was a clock malfunction. I’ve been in coaching now 37 years, college and pros, you know, if it’s indisputable, let’s play five more,” said Casey after the game.
It’s easy to say that Toronto got robbed of a chance to pull out a victory, but this wasn’t the only reason they lost. Their defense in the third quarter was terrible. A 28-point period by the Kings cut down the Raptors’ halftime lead, and Sacramento entered the fourth in front 86-81.
In the third, Toronto allowed nearly 53 percent of Sacramento’s shots to fall, and the Kings assisted on nine of their ten made field goals. The Raptors weren’t able to get anything to fall out of the break. DeMar DeRozan, who was averaging 33 points per game heading into Sunday, didn’t make a shot in the third and only had 12 points the entire night.
The last period was dreadful offensively with 34 combined points. Each squad shot 25 percent from the field, and none of the stars were able to find a rhythm down the stretch.
By the night’s end, Kyle Lowry was the leading scorer with 25 on 7-of-17 shooting; Rudy Gay led the Kings with 23, and he was clearly the game’s most efficient player.
With the loss, Toronto’s dropped three of their last four games, with their only win coming against the Denver Nuggets. Sacramento, who’s trying to put together a respectable season, snapped their four-game losing streak.
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