NBA says 3 calls hurt Heat in overtime loss at Washington

Miami Heat guards Dwyane Wade (3) and Goran Dragic (7), from Slovenia, react during the overtime portion an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Tuesday, March 6, 2018, in Washington. The Wizards won 117-113. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

MIAMI — The NBA said three plays were officiated incorrectly in overtime of Tuesday’s Miami-Washington game, all aiding the Wizards in what became their four-point victory.

The National Basketball Referees Association, however, disagreed with the league’s assessment in one of those situations.

The league said a 5-second inbounding violation should have been called against Washington with 12.2 seconds left in overtime, after determining that Markieff Morris did not release the basketball in time. Replays showed Morris held the ball for more than five seconds, which meant Miami should have gotten possession in what was then a one-point game.

But the NBRA said the officiating crew was right.

“We are taught to count to 5 and make sure the ball has not been released before calling a violation,” the NBRA wrote on Twitter . “The official in this game got to 5 and the ball was released. It was the correct decision.”

The NBA disagreed, calling it an incorrect non-call.

“Morris (did) not release the inbound pass within five seconds,” the league wrote in its Last Two Minute Report, which analyzes the calls and non-calls made in the last two minutes of games within three points at any time in the fourth quarter or an overtime period.

The other two situations also involved Morris, and both helped Washington.

Miami’s Josh Richardson was called for a foul with 1:36 left in overtime by referee Marat Kogut, and Morris made one of the two resulting free throws to put his team up 110-109. The NBA said its review showed Richardson “cleanly dislodges the ball from Morris.” Richardson knocked the ball almost directly to Miami teammate Dwyane Wade, who would have had a fast-break opportunity if no whistle was blown.

The last of the three came with just under 5 seconds left, when Heat forward Kelly Olynyk was fouled by Morris as he attempted to put back a miss by Wade and with the Heat down by two. Kogut was the nearest official to the play, and did not make a call. Washington wound up icing the game with two free throws moments later.

Scott Foster and Ray Acosta were the other two referees working the game. The NBA reviewed 31 situations from the last 2 minutes of the overtime period, and said the crew handled 28 of them properly.

The 117-113 loss knocked Miami down one spot to No. 8 in the Eastern Conference standings, and moved Washington three games ahead of the Heat.