The Washington Wizards knocked off the Orlando Magic in their season opener on Wednesday night, but nearly blew the game late on a controversial goaltending call.
The Magic lost because of a goaltending non-call on a ball that hung on the rim forever
A close call nearly turned the tables in Washington’s game against Orlando on Wednesday night.
With the Magic trailing, 88-87, with just a few seconds left, Tobias Harris attempted a jumper that seemed to hang on the rim for an eternity. Players from both Washington and Orlando jumped to tip the ball, although NBA rules prevent players from touching the ball when it's over the cylinder. Bradley Beal was initially called for a goaltend that would've put the Magic up by one:
However, the goaltending call initiated a review of the play, which led referees to overturn the call. Instead, the basket was waived off and the Magic were given possession with 3.5 seconds remaining. Nikola Vucevic got off one last shot attempt before the buzzer to try to win the game, but it missed to complete Washington's win.
A closer look at the play may reveal why the referees made the call. Vucevic was under the basket battling Beal for position as the ball bounced on the rim. It appears the Magic center was actually the first one to make contact:
That would be an offensive basket interference call on Vucevic if the ball was above the cylinder, so the referees must have ruled that the ball was not above the cylinder and Vucevic’s initial contact was legal. The Magic had gotten the offensive rebound, so they were given back the ball after the whistle with the remaining time on the clock.
What’s clear is that a goaltending call on Beal would’ve been unfair. Not only did referees ultimately rule the contact to be legal, but it looks like Vucevic was the first one to touch the ball anyway.
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