Multiple Missed Calls Doom Kings After Falling to Thunder 105-112

NBA officials missed several calls in Tuesday’s loss for Sacramento.

Apr 9, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

The Sacramento Kings are looking to drag themselves out of the Play-In tournament, but it’s looking less and less likely as Mike Brown’s squad continues to lose games in the final stretch of the regular season. With only three games remaining, the Kings would need a miracle to finish in the 6th seed.

Following their loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, Sacramento currently sits in the 8th seed in the Western Conference, two games out of 6th place. Beating the Thunder on the road would have been a difficult task, but it was another blown lead by the Kings as the team choked away a 20-point lead in the second half.

It’s been a common theme for Sacramento to let their guard down after taking big early leads, and it’s something that will certainly need to change if they wish to advance in the playoffs. 

While it’s no excuse for a blown lead, the Kings were affected once again by poor officiating in the final two minutes. Referees have missed a multitude of calls that have ended up negatively affecting the Kings, according to Last 2 Minute reports posted by the league. The most recent calls came while the game was still a one-score difference, and wrongly gave the ball to OKC.

The first missed call came while the Kings were down 106-105 with a minute and a half on the clock. After missing a free throw, Chet Holmgren fought for a rebound with Keon Ellis and the officials decided that the ball went off Ellis’ hands, therefore giving another possession to the Thunder. This was deemed to be the wrong call, and should have been Sacramento ball with 1:25 on the clock. 

Gifted a free possession, the Thunder’s MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would go on to knock down a mid-range jumper to increase the gap. Before hitting the shot, however, Shai took an extra step and should have been called for a travel according to the L2M report. Seeing that it should have been the Kings’ ball twice in the span of 15 seconds, it’s fair to say the officiating was poor.

The Kings will look to move past these incidents and win their final three games in a last-ditch effort to climb the rankings in the Western Conference before the playoffs later this month.

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