By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Russell Westbrook had 29 points and 10 assists, and the Thunder held on to beat San Antonio 98-97 on Monday night, evening the series at one game apiece when the Spurs failed to score in the final seconds.
However, officials said after game that they should have called an offensive foul during a controversial late-game sequence.
“On the floor, we did not see a foul on the play,” lead referee Ken Mauer told a pool reporter. “However, upon review we realize and we agree we should have had an offensive foul on the play. It’s a play we’ve never seen before, ever. We should have had an offensive foul on the play.”
The sequence in question involved Oklahoma City’s Dion Waiters on an inbounds play with 13.5 seconds remaining and his team nursing a one-point advantage. Replays showed Waiters used an elbow on Spurs guard Manu Ginobili to clear the space he needed to pass the ball to Kevin Durant, who was subsequently stripped by Danny Green.
Patty Mills missed the ensuing corner 3-pointer, and Spurs power forward LaMarcus Aldridge lost control of the rebound. Kawhi Leonard’s scramble for the loose ball proved fruitless as the buzzer sounded.
Spaniard Serge Ibaka and Turk Enes Kanter scored 12 points each for the winners, while French star Tony Parker had 7 points and 6 assists for the Spurs, while his compatriot Boris Diaw added 2 points.