Getty
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder is the reigning NBA MVP.
The NBA announced that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should have shot two free throws late in the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s loss to the Miami Heat on Thursday. It could have changed the outcome of the game since the call favored the Heat, who snapped the Thunder’s five-game win streak.
In the official L2M report for the game, referees admitted that they made an incorrect call on SGA with 1:14 left in the fourth quarter. Instead of an offensive foul on the reigning MVP, the Heat’s Pelle Larsson should have been called for a personal foul.
“Larsson (MIA) is drawn into the air on the pump fake towards Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC), and contact occurs to Gilgeous-Alexander’s body during his upward shooting motion. Gilgeous-Alexander does not overtly jump towards Larsson to initiate the contact, therefore a shooting foul on Larsson should have been assessed instead,” the report stated.
That means if the referees made the correct call, SGA would have gone to the free-throw line and increased the Thunder’s lead to five points. It was a huge swing at a crucial point of the game, as the Heat pulled off the 122-120 victory.
Nevertheless, the decision can’t be reversed, though the officials are going to use the latest mistake to further improve.
SGA’s Reaction To Being Called ‘FT Merchant’
While the title of “free-throw merchant” has stuck to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, at least on social media, the reigning MVP doesn’t care about it. SGA told reporters last season that he doesn’t mind and even considered it as a compliment.
“In terms of the label, I don’t care. I never cared… I’ve shot more free throws in a season than I did this season. I think because we’re on top of everybody’s radar, it’s a little more noticeable and now people care about it. I kind of see it as a compliment,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, via Sports Illustrated.
Contrary to popular belief, SGA has never led the league in free-throw attempts in his career. He doesn’t even lead the NBA in that category this season, with Deni Avdija at the top with 404 attempts and counting.
Since the 2020-21 season, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the top “free-throw merchant” four times, while Joel Embiid had the most in the 2021-22 campaign.
Thunder Lost More Than A Game
The loss certainly hurt the Oklahoma City Thunder since they were starting to get their rhythm back after a rough patch since late December. However, the defending NBA champs suffered an injury blow to Jalen Williams during the game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s right-hand man went down with a hamstring injury in the second quarter. Williams was driving to the basket when he turned the ball over and immediately grabbed his right hamstring. He was ruled out for the rest of the game.
The Thunder then announced that Williams suffered a strained right hamstring and was ruled out for Monday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The severity of his injury is still unknown, but RealGM reported that he would be out indefinitely.
Williams already missed the first 19 games of the season due to his recovery from offseason wrist surgery. He has had a rough campaign, averaging 16.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He’s shooting 47.0% from the field, but he’s struggling from beyond the arc at just 30.0%.
Juan Paolo David Juan Paolo David is a sports journalist covering basketball for Heavy. He has a decade of experience writing about the NBA and WWE. He’s currently based in the Philippines. More about Juan Paolo David
More Heavy on Thunder
Loading more stories
