Milwaukee’s head coach Doc Rivers has been penalized with a $25,000 fine by the NBA following his public remarks regarding officiating after a game where the Bucks lost 115-114 to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. Rivers expressed disappointment in the referees’ decision on a critical foul involving superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, which the officials later acknowledged was a mistake.

Rivers voiced his frustrations during a postgame interview, stating, “I believe the final call on the play was clearly wrong. This marks the second consecutive game where a crucial error was made at a decisive moment.” His remarks came after a tense ending to the game, where Hornets player LaMelo Ball attempted to drive to the basket. Despite appearing to slip without any physical contact, the officials called a foul on Antetokounmpo with only 7.3 seconds remaining on the clock.

Following the foul, Ball capitalized by sinking both free throws, which allowed the Hornets to take the lead. Rivers elaborated on the situation by saying, “LaMelo Ball just stumbled and fell. There wasn’t a player close enough to have any impact on him. If we hadn’t lost possession of the ball, the game would have been over. It’s incredibly frustrating to see these mistakes in back-to-back games, especially since we were fortunate with the missed free throws in our previous game against Detroit, while tonight, Ball converted.”

It’s important to note that the Bucks had used their challenge earlier in the game, meaning they could not contest this specific call. Crew chief Curtis Blair confirmed that the decision, which was initially deemed as “illegal leg-to-leg contact,” would have been overturned upon reviewing the play. He stated, “Upon our review after the game, we determined there was no illegal contact involved in this situation.” This incident highlights ongoing discussions within the league regarding officiating decisions and their impact on game outcomes.