Pacers incorrectly awarded game-winning FTs vs. Celtics, L2M report says - ESPN

The Indiana Pacers were incorrectly awarded three free throws in the waning seconds of Monday night's 133-131 win over the Boston Celtics, the NBA announced in its Last Two Minute Report published Tuesday.

Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis blocked Pacers forward Bennedict Mathurin's 3-point attempt with 0.6 seconds remaining and the game tied but was called for a shooting foul. Mathurin made two of the three free throws to secure the win for Indiana.

The report states that Porzingis was above the ball and legally contested the shot, «with some incidental arm contact occurring concurrent with the block.» Officials reviewed whether the call was made before the clock expired, but the foul itself was not reviewable.

A few seconds earlier, the Pacers won a coach's challenge that overturned a call that would have sent Jaylen Brown to the free throw line with 3.2 seconds remaining. The NBA's report deemed the decision to overturn the call on the floor correct, stating that Buddy Hield made «minimal contact» with Brown's head.

«As the rulebook makes clear, the mere fact that contact occurs does not necessarily constitute a foul; contact which is incidental to an effort by a player to defend an opponent, reach a loose ball, or perform normal defensive or offensive movements is not considered illegal,» the L2M read.

The Celtics were irate at the overturned call after the game, with Brown saying, «I think he obviously hit me in the head. I think we definitely need to do some investigation, that's all I'm [going to] say.»