In a heated showdown between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Philadelphia 76ers, Kawhi Leonard’s decisive plays sealed a contentious 108-107 victory, leaving the Sixers feeling aggrieved.
During the intense final moments, Kelly Oubre Jr. found himself at the center of controversy after a no-call on a crucial play involving Paul George and a subsequent altercation with officials.
Reflecting on the heated exchange, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse expressed frustration with the officiating, stating, “Well I think, listen, I think he took it in there pretty hard, right? I thought there was certainly contact. But that’s the way it goes sometimes.”
Despite a strong performance from Oubre, who contributed 17 points to the Sixers’ effort, the game ended on a contentious note, prompting a passionate response from the forward and coach Nurse.
Acknowledging his reaction, Oubre issued an apology post-game, stating, “First and foremost, heated a moment, this is an intense basketball game of course. We’re not perfect, the refs aren’t perfect. I want to apologize for just losing my cool because that’s something I try to work on each and every day. and try to represent God in the best way I possibly can and that wasn’t it. So I just ask for forgiveness.
“But I saw coach Nurse getting riled up and if our coach is going to fight for us and he’s going there, then I’m right behind him. But at the end of the day, it wasn’t cool. So I’ll take whatever penalties come with that and you have to move on. But I got to be better in this sense.”
Notably, after the game the officials agreed that a foul should have been called against George on the final play. “On the last play on the floor, in real time the crew interpreted that play as the defender jumping vertically. However, in post-game video review we did observe some slight drift to his left by the defender George, and a foul should have been ruled,” Crew Chief Kevin Scott said in Pool Report.
