NBA misses another call on Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan game-winning attempt

NBA misses call on another DeRozan win attempt originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Stop us if you’ve heard this before: The Chicago Bulls were on the wrong end of a missed call late in Saturday’s 103-102 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

According to the NBA’s final two-minute report for the contest, Caris LeVert should have been called for a shooting foul on DeMar DeRozan’s floater with 2.6 seconds left that had the potential to give the Bulls a lead. It was the only missed call in the last two minutes of regulation time.

“LeVert makes contact with DeRozan’s left arm, affecting the release of his jump shot attempt,” the report said.

Interestingly, neither DeRozan nor Bulls coach Billy Donovan even hinted at the possibility of a missed call when repeatedly asked about the game after the game. Donovan instead pointed out that the action had not materialized as drafted in the team’s previous timeout, while DeRozan admitted that he “halted the game” based on a live reading he had done, but added that he was happy with the shot he took.

“I felt like (it was) a clean look,” he said. “I got there, I felt like it was online. I felt good. I felt good. I got it there. I didn’t feel like anybody ‘one was in front of me, I passed it over the guys, put it on the edge, it was on line, just circled.

If the sting of a close game swaying on a missed no-call sounds familiar to Bulls fans, there’s a reason.

It’s the second time this season that DeRozan has been denied the chance to win a game on free throws by way of a missed no-call. The first came in the Bulls’ 102-100 loss to the Wizards on Oct. 21, when the final two-minute report determined DeRozan was fouled on a potentially game-winning 3-point attempt.

But that’s life when you live on the edge. Nineteen of the Bulls’ 36 games this season have come within a five-point margin with five minutes or less left in the fourth quarter. They now boast a 7-12 record in such contests.

The silver lining is that the Bulls have an immediate chance for redemption when they visit the Cavaliers for a rematch on Monday. Cleveland is 2-0 against the Bulls so far this season.

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