NBA says refs made wrong call on late foul in Celtics loss

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Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) fouls Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) in the final second of the second half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. The Pacers defeated the Celtics 133-131. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

INDIANAPOLIS — The NBA office said Tuesday the referees in Monday night’s Boston-Indiana game made the wrong call on a foul with 0.6 seconds to go, resulting in the decisive free throws that gave Indiana a 133-131 win.

In Tuesday’s Last Two Minute Report, league officials said Celtics forward Kristaps Porzingis only made “incidental arm contact occurring concurrent with the block” on Bennedict Mathurin’s final shot.

The referees correctly conducted a replay review to determine if the contact occurred before the buzzer sounded and whether time should be added to the clock, which it was. But the report said the play was not reviewable under the replay trigger and Celtics were out of challenges.

Mathurin made the tie-breaking free throws to beat the Eastern Conference’s top team and square the teams’ season series at 2-2.