Wizards' Kyle Kuzma Says Nets Asst. David Vanterpool Deflecting Pass Was 'Horses--t'

Brooklyn Nets assistant head coach David Vanterpool reached out and deflected a sideline pass from Washington Wizards point guard Spencer Dinwiddie to teammate Kyle Kuzma during the fourth quarter of the Nets' 119-118 road win on Wednesday in Capital One Arena.

Referees didn't catch the coach's interference, and Nets forward Kessler Edwards ultimately earned a steal off the play.

After the game, Kuzma made his feelings clear on the matter.

Wizards acting head coach Joseph Blair did the same:

The Nets were up 109-103 at the time of Vanterpool's interference.

Brooklyn didn't score on its next possession, but the Wizards still lost an opportunity to score because of Vanterpool.

It's certainly a bitter pill to swallow for the team in a one-point defeat. To make matters worse, referees could have called a technical foul on Vanterpool if caught, giving the Wizards one free throw attempt plus the ball back.

Despite the deflection, the Wizards fought back and had multiple chances to win the game on their final possession. However, three-point attempts from Kuzma and Dinwiddie were off the mark, ending the Wizards' comeback attempt.

After the game, Josh Robbins of The Athletic acted as the game's pool reporter and got some answers from crew chief Ben Taylor regarding the play.

In sum, Taylor noted that his crew did not see a deflection on the court during the play. He also said that there was no "mechanism in place" for a review.

As for Vanterpool, the 48-year-old played professional basketball (largely overseas) from 1995-2007. He's been an assistant or associated head coach ever since with stints for CSKA Moscow, the Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves and now the Nets.

The 2021-22 season marks his first in Brooklyn.