Watch: Raptors' OT-forcing 3 called off after review shows clock started late
So, this is a new one.
A bizarre finish in Sacramento on Sunday night left the Toronto Raptors seething mad and sent the Kings home with a tenuous victory.
The Raptors thought they'd pushed the game to overtime on this miracle 30-foot buzzer-beater from Terrence Ross. And why wouldn't they? Ross clearly got the shot off in time, and even replay review confirmed the ball was out of his hands with 0.5 seconds left on the clock.
But the Kings challenged the call, insisting the clock hadn't started when DeMarcus Cousins deflected the inbounds pass.
Turns out they were right.
Officials rule DeMarcus Cousins deflected ball & therefor Terrence Ross's game-tying three came after time expired pic.twitter.com/t2tb1Jsdka
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) November 21, 2016
The referees conferred with the officials in the video replay center in Secaucus, who apparently clocked the entire play. They determined that the amount of time it took for Ross to release the shot, from the time of Cousins' deflection, exceeded the 2.4 seconds left on the game clock when they'd inbounded the ball.
(2/2) Ruling: Clock started late and should have run to 0.0 before Ross' shot released.
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) November 21, 2016
NBA referee Mike Callahan pool reporter transcript below: pic.twitter.com/3Rx8ad4Lra
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) November 21, 2016
The Raptors, predictably, were nonplussed.
The Raptors bench was incensed when Ross’s three to force overtime was overturned pic.twitter.com/dTRt1UyCbn
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) November 21, 2016
Unconventional, to be certain, but the Kings - who came in riding a four-game losing streak - will gladly take it. They've now swept the season series with the Raptors in back-to-back seasons.