Damian Lillard Hits 2-Point Jumper, Ref Counts It as a Triple

Off in New York, far away from the national championship pressure cooker of Lucas Oil Stadium, Monday night’s lone NBA game took place between the Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trail Blazers. 

The game was a make-up contest postponed by the snow haboob that mauled the East Coast in late January, with the Nets pulling out a win over Portland despite the refs from Wisconsin-Duke briefly teleporting into the Barclays Center to blow an easy call. 

The egregious miscue occurred in the third quarter, when Damian Lillard dribbled in from the perimeter, pulled up comfortably inside the arc and nailed a jumper near the top of the key. 

For reasons we may never understand, the nearest official raised his arms indicating a three-point field goal, and the Trail Blazers were awarded the triple.

Referees did not review the play, allowing the Trail Blazers to hold onto their extra point. 

Fortunately, the error didn’t mean much in the grander scheme of the game. The Nets (36-41) conquered Portland, 106-96, and bolstered their chances for a No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Trail Blazers (50-27) are locked in for a top-four seed in the Western Conference. 

I have to think this was a weird, knee-jerk reaction from the official.

Perhaps he took his eye off the play and indicated the triple after seeing the shot fall. Maybe his brain farted loudly and its only way to reboot involves raising both arms. In any case, it’s strange none of the other referees saw fit to argue with it or even give the play a review.

Oh well. At least questionable referee eyesight didn’t affect the outcome of an important game this time.

Dan is on Twitter. He rains triples from close distance every day.