NBA fines Doc Rivers for comments about call refs admitted was wrong

NEW YORK — Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Sunday for public criticism of the officiating on a foul against Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo that the referees admitted they got wrong.

Rivers made the comments after the Bucks’ 115-114 loss at Charlotte on Saturday, saying: “I thought the final play was the ref blowing a call. This is back-to-back games now where on the final play there has been an incorrect call made.”

With the Hornets trailing by one, LaMelo Ball drove the right side of the lane and slipped and fell. Replays didn’t appear to show any contact, but Antetokounmpo was whistled for the foul with 7.3 seconds left. Ball made both free throws to give Charlotte the lead.

“LaMelo Ball fell. He just fell down,” Rivers said. “Nobody was near him. He slipped on his own. We come up with the ball and the game is over. So back-to-back games now we have had a call made against us that is incorrect. We were lucky in Detroit the kid missed two free throws. Tonight LaMelo Ball made the free throws.”

The Bucks did not have a challenge left. If they had, the call would have been overturned on replay, crew chief Curtis Blair said afterward.

“During live play we called illegal leg-to-leg contact,” Blair said. “During postgame review when we looked at the play there was no illegal contact on the play.”