SGA agrees with late-game call: 'I fouled him, clearly'
Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't arguing a scrutinized last-second foul call that cost his team a chance at forcing a Game 7 in their second-round series against the Dallas Mavericks.
Gilgeous-Alexander was honest postgame after the referees blew their whistle while he was closing out on a PJ Washington 3-pointer with his team up one in the final seconds of Saturday's Game 6.
"I don't want to look at (the play)," said Gilgeous-Alexander after the 117-116 loss, per Bally Sports Oklahoma. "I fouled him, clearly, because they reviewed it, and I fouled him, so there's no need to look at it."
The replay appears to show Gilgeous-Alexander first making contact with the ball during Washington's shot motion but hitting his wrist on the follow-through.
For anyone claiming this was not a foul, I’d love to hear your reasoning…
— Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) May 19, 2024
SGA clearly gets all ball on his first attempt, but the ball doesn’t move at all. SGA clearly hits Washington’s left forearm/elbow afterwards, which is a foul.
Tough timing for sure, but the correct call pic.twitter.com/M2wQmEyIvO
The Thunder used their last timeout to challenge the play, but the officials upheld the decision. Washington drained his first two free throws before missing the third on purpose to force a desperation heave from Oklahoma City that came up short.
"It sucks. Obviously, if I had the moment back, I wouldn't have fouled him and just let him make or miss the shot," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Basketball, you win some, you lose some, you make mistakes."
Though the MVP runner-up's defensive misstep came at a crucial moment, the Thunder wouldn't have gotten that close without the masterful play of their leader. Gilgeous-Alexander set a new season playoff-high with 36 points, adding eight assists and shooting a pristine 14-of-25 from the field and 3-of-4 from deep.