Carl Anthony Towns became agitated as referees disregarded his attempts to progress during their late-night Monday loss to the Charlotte Hornets, 128-125.
Two fouls were discovered about him. This is in line with the NBA, which disclosed on Tuesday that in the last two minutes of Monday’s game between the Hornets and the Minnesota Timberwolves, officials missed ten calls.
Towns’ flawless night was spoiled by the Hornets’ comeback from a 15-point hole in the fourth quarter. With a remarkable performance that matched his career-high 62 points, Towns tied the Timberwolves’ franchise record. In the last five seconds of the game, he had a chance to beat the record and give Minnesota the lead.
KAT WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THE NO CALL HERE 😳 pic.twitter.com/Z1Xi96xsPC
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 23, 2024
At the free-throw line, where the Hornets were ahead 126-125 with less than 7 seconds remaining, the 7-foot Towns posted up 6-foot-1 Terri Rozier. He started to proceed in the direction of the hoop but was stopped by the Hornets’ defence and lost possession of the ball.
Towns asked for a foul, which went uncalled. Two turnovers on the other end by the Hornets interrupted the action.
Towns was gathered by Rozier and subsequently compelled to take an unlawful action to swipe at Towns on his drive, which resulted in a leaky shot, according to the NBA’s final two-minute report, which was made public on Tuesday.
In the last 1:57 of the game, NBA-designated officials missed ten calls, including both of them. The Hornets won six of the missed calls, including two key calls on Towns during the late drive. The NBA also found that Charlotte was not called for two travels and two personal fouls that the officials overlooked.
Three inaccurate non-called-on fouls committed by the Timberwolves and an incorrect personal foul assessment of a Hornets player were among the other missed calls.
Minnesota’s performance declined, and head coach Chris Finch called it “disgraceful” and “immature”—none of these missed calls was an excuse.
As the final two minutes saw the difference close, the Hornets had already erased their 15-point deficit to take a 126-121 advantage. For the Hornets, the Timberwolves had already wasted a chance to spoil Towns’ night of celebration—a night that was supposed to be his moment of glory.
The officials were the ones who lost the game, not the Timberwolves.
It’s also accurate to say that officials will need to operate more productively.