NBA admits refs missed crucial Celtics foul of Jones in Kings’ loss

NBA admits refs missed crucial Celtics foul of Jones in Kings’ loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Kings were on the receiving end of a brutal missed call at the end of a nailbiting 101-100 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday at TD Garden.

With Sacramento trailing by one point with five seconds remaining in the game, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox failed to convert a potential game-winning jump shot that was rebounded by guard Keegan Murray, who missed the second-chance attempt before rookie Colby Jones appeared to be swatted in the face by Celtics guard/forward Svi Mykhailiuk on the put-back attempt.

According to the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report released Saturday, Jones indeed was fouled on the play, so it was an incorrect non-call by the officials. Here is what the report stated:

Comment: Mykhailiuk (BOS) follows through and initiates illegal contact with Jones’ (SAC) face after he tips the ball.

If called correctly, Jones would have received free-throw attempts with a chance to tie or win the game.

In speaking to reporters after the game, Kings coach Mike Brown expressed his frustration with the non-call.

“I don’t know how you miss that one, but we have to move on and get ready for Brooklyn.”

Mike Brown laments the no-call as Colby Jones was hit in the face on tonight’s final play pic.twitter.com/YV0EYKwZ8C

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 6, 2024

“Fox got a great look, Keegan had a good look on the follow-up and then Colby gets smacked right in the face with 1.7 [seconds] to go,” Brown said. “And you’re yelling, ‘Foul, foul,’ and they say nobody got hit — it was just physical, clean basketball. And that’s tough to swallow when you see a guy get smacked like that in the face. That’s tough.

“I don’t know. Maybe we didn’t deserve to win. I’m not sure. We for sure wanted to win. You just got to call the game how it is. I don’t know how you miss that one. But we’ve got to move on and get ready for Brooklyn.”

While free throws are not guaranteed to go in, especially for a Kings team that is shooting an NBA-worst 74.2 percent from the line this season, it’s hard for Sacramento and its fans not to imagine a different outcome if the foul had been called.