The Denver Nuggets were starting to make a comeback against the Miami Heat late in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Finals when a non-call shifted the momentum. With the Heat leading 104-93 with under five minutes remaining in regulation, Miami center Bam Abebayo appeared to goaltend on a layup from Jamal Murray. The refs never blew their whistle, and called it a clean block.
The refs missed a goaltend that swung NBA Finals Game 2 for Nuggets-Heat
Twitter was in disbelief over the refs missing an obvious goaltending call on the Heat in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
The Heat beat the Nuggets, 111-108, to tie the NBA Finals at 1-1. Denver made a furious rally in the final minutes, but Jamal Murray missed a potential game-tying three as the buzzer expired.
Adebayo’s block stood out as the most questionable call of the game. It sure looked like the ball was on the way down when Adebayo blocked the shot. Here’s a look at the replay:
It’s a big two-point swing in that moment. Unfortunately for Denver, goaltending calls and non-calls are not reviewable.
Twitter was not happy about the missed call both when it happened and after the game:
There were a number of close calls that went Miami’s way on the night, but the free throw totals were pretty even. Denver shot 22 free throws to 20 for the Heat. Miami only attempted two free throws in their Game 1 loss.
The Heat did what they had to do — winning on the road to steal homecourt advantage back in the NBA Finals. The Heat were on fire from three-point range — finishing the night 17-of-35 (48.6 percent) from deep — and that was enough to carry the offense.
The 2023 NBA Finals just got a lot more interesting.
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