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Every NBA season comes with ample drama, and the fourth-quarter clutch melee that unfolded during the Portland Trail Blazers vs OKC Thunder matchup on Tuesday contributed to one of the season's storylines.
The Thunder notched up a narrow 111-109 win, but the visitors were unhappy with the outcome and filed a protest to the league office to challenge the final result ESPN and NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported the development hours after the Blazers' loss at the Paycom Center on Tuesday.
Wojnarowski tweeted, outlining the latest on the controversial skirmish:
"ESPN Sources: Portland is filing a protest with the league office to challenge result of 111-109 loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday. With 109-108 lead, Portland contends Chauncey Billups was clearly calling timeout prior to official whistling a Blazers double-dribble with 15.6 seconds left. Billups was assessed two techs and ejected."
To lend more insight, the outcome came down to the last few possessions. With 47 seconds on the clock, the Blazers scored to tie the game at 106-106 and went ahead when Anfernee Simons drained a deep 3-pointer. Jalen Williams responded with a jumper to get the score to 109-108, but it all went south for Portland with 25 seconds remaining.
Malcolm Brogdon was called for a crucial double-dribble. While coach Chauncey Billups tried to call a timeout with 15.6 seconds remaining, his words weren't heard, and there were no physical gestures, resulting in a whistle.
An enraged Billups made contact with one of the referees and drew a technical. He was slapped with a second soon after, resulting in an immediate ejection.
The officials awarded OKC that ball and also two shots for the technical foul. They made one, which was enough to get the score to 109-109.
In the next possession, Williams to put in another jumper to give the Thunder a two-point lead. The end of the game saw a lob to Deandre Ayton getting stolen.
Can the NBA overturn the outcome of the game? What's next for the Blazers if they do?
It's not often that it happens, but the last time a game outcome changed was between the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks in 2008.
Shaquille O’Neal was incorrectly judged by the officiating crew to have fouled out with 51.9 seconds left in OT. The original result of 117-111 was overturned, and the teams replayed the last 51.9 seconds of the clash in their next meeting with the Hawks, winning 114-111.
It also marked the first protest granted since 1982 when then-commissioner Larry O'Brien upheld a protest by the San Antonio Spurs regarding their 137-132 double-OT loss to the LA Lakers. The game between the two ended on April 13, with the Spurs winning 117-114.
In the Blazers vs Thunder scenario, should the NBA find conclusive evidence that Billups called for a timeout and it was an officiating error, there's the possibility of the teams replaying after the original decision changes.
Both teams meet on Mar. 6 at the Moda Center, and in all probability, the game will be played with 15.6 seconds on the clock. But until that's ascertained, the OKC Thunder will take this win.
Guess the Lakers players!
