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Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN
The Portland Trail Blazers are filing a protest with the NBA to challenge the result of a 111-109 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, sources told ESPN.
The Blazers are contending that coach Chauncey Billups — with a 109-108 lead — was clearly calling a timeout on the sideline before a referee whistled a double dribble on guard Malcolm Brogdon with 15.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter in Oklahoma City.
In response, Billups reacted angrily to what he believed was a failure to honor his timeout request. He was accessed two technical fouls — including a second after marching onto the floor to argue — and ejected in the final seconds of the game.
“We’ve got timeouts,” Billups said afterward. “Referees usually are prepared for that, you know, that instance, that situation. I’m at half court, trying to call a timeout. It’s just frustrating. My guys played too hard for that. It’s a frustrating play.”
According to a pool report interview, crew chief Bill Kennedy said Billups was not granted a timeout because the referee was focused on the play in front of him, making it “difficult” for him to hear and see Billups’ request.
“The referee in the slot position was refereeing the double-team that was right in front of him, which makes it difficult for, No. 1, to hear and, No. 2, to see a coach request a timeout behind him,” Kennedy said. “He is taught to referee the play until completion, which a double dribble happens, and he correctly calls the double dribble and then pursuant [to that] the technical fouls come forward.”
The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made one of two technical free throws to tie the score at 109-109, and Jalen Williams hit a shot with 2.1 seconds remaining to secure the victory. Portland dropped to 12-31 with the loss. The Blazers and Thunder play one more time this season — March 6 in Portland.
An NBA team has 48 hours to file a protest with the league office and five days to provide evidence of the protested action. After that, the league office has five more days to make a decision. A protest costs a team $10,000 to file and is refunded if successful.
The NBA has not often upheld protests in its history — only six times, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The last time came on Dec. 19, 2007, when Miami Heat center Shaquille O’Neal was incorrectly ruled to have six fouls when he had only five. The game was resumed on March 8, 2008, but neither team scored in the 51.9 seconds that was replayed from overtime. The Hawks won 114-111. Before the game was resumed, O’Neal had been traded to the Phoenix Suns.