The NBA disagrees with Kerr’s timeout complaint

In the final seconds of the Denver Nuggets’ 119-115 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, Denver’s Christian Braun tried to grab an offensive rebound while his team was ahead by four points. As he rolled over, he appeared to be trying to call a timeout, a timeout that Denver didn’t have that would have allowed the Warriors a technical free throw and possession of the ball.

Instead, the referees called for a jump ball with 1.9 seconds left, effectively ending the game. In his post-game press conference, Steve Kerr was furious about the non-call-up, telling reporters: “Brown called a timeout. Everyone saw it except the three guys we hire for the games.”

But according to the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report, a review of all referee calls in the final two minutes of games within five points, the referees did not miss the call. The CNC rating for Correct Non-Call is as follows:

“As Braun (DEN) secures the loose ball, he never fully or clearly signals a timeout and therefore a timeout will not be recognized.”

It definitely looked like Braun was trying to call a timeout, but it’s also hard to say that he definitely put his hands together to give the classic timeout signal. After the game, Braun claimed, “It may have looked like he was calling a timeout, but in reality he was just fumbling the ball a little on the ground.”

However, it is generally considered a trip if a player rolls onto their side with the ball. But maybe not if you fumble the ball on the ground a little. Even a kickoff for the trip wouldn’t have helped the Warriors, as they would still have been four points behind with three seconds left.

After the game, Nuggets coach Michael Malone appeared to tweak Kerr with his comments. He told reporters: “I hope someone has the snapshot of Christian Braun diving for the loose ball at the end before not calling a timeout.”

It’s not the first NBA game this year in which someone takes or doesn’t take a timeout while their team didn’t have one. On November 12, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra received a technical for calling a timeout with one second left in overtime in a tied game. The Detroit Pistons won the game due to the ensuing technical foul.

Even if the referees had called for a technical error on Braun’s part, it would have been a long shot to win. The result would not have changed even if the L2M report had confirmed Kerr. But with the team mired in an abysmal five-game losing streak, the league’s report was just another L for Golden State.