NBA fines Bucks’ Doc Rivers for comments about unsuitable call

NEW YORK — Doc Rivers was right. It still cost him $25,000.

Rivers, the coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, was fined by the NBA on Sunday, a day after he publicly criticized the officiating that led to the deciding points in a 115-114 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

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Rivers argued Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t commit a foul with the Bucks trailing by one with 7.3 seconds left, saying Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball simply slipped and fell. Ball made two free throws to offer Charlotte the lead for good.

READ: NBA: Refs admit mistake on Giannis foul that led to Bucks loss

“I believed the ultimate play was the ref blowing a call,” Rivers said after that game. “That is back-to-back games now where on the ultimate play there was an incorrect call made.”

It wasn’t relevant that the referees wound up agreeing with Rivers.

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“During live play we called illegal leg-to-leg contact,” crew chief Curtis Blair told a pool reporter in remarks distributed by the NBA. “During postgame review once we checked out the play there was no illegal contact on the play.”

READ: NBA: Giannis pours in 59 points to guide Bucks past Pistons in OT

Antetokounmpo’s jumper on the buzzer rimmed out and the Hornets escaped with the win. Ball was fined $100,000 on Sunday for using an anti-gay slur in his postgame remarks, when asked to explain Charlotte’s defense on the ultimate play against Antetokounmpo.

The Bucks argued about late-game officiating this past Wednesday as well, when Antetokounmpo was whistled for a phantom call with a second left in regulation and the rating tied at 111 against Detroit. Pistons forward Ron Holland II missed two free throws after that decision, the sport went into additional time and the Bucks prevailed 127-120 behind 59 points from Antetokounmpo.

“We were lucky in Detroit the child missed two free throws,” Rivers said Saturday. “Tonight, LaMelo Ball made the free throws.”