The Rockets' loss feels extremely unjust! The referee report for the game against the Nuggets has been released: all three incorrect or missed calls disadvantaged the Rockets.

On December 17th Beijing time, the NBA officially published the referee report for the final two minutes of yesterday’s Rockets vs. Nuggets matchup. It showed that three incorrect or missed calls happened in that period, all to the Rockets’ detriment. The Rockets ended up losing 125-128 to the Nuggets. Postgame, Udoka expressed fury at the officiating, drawing significant attention.

The first incorrect call happened with 1 minute and 40 seconds left. Jokic backed down Sengun, spun into the paint for a shot. Durant came up to block the ball, but the referees called a defensive foul on Durant, giving Jokic free throws. The referee report clarified that Durant did not commit a foul and that it was a clean block. This wrong call benefited the Nuggets and harmed the Rockets.

The second missed call occurred with 1 minute and 8 seconds remaining. Sengun fell suddenly while battling for a rebound, but the referees made no call. The report indicated that in this play, Hardaway Jr. pushed Sengun, physically interfering with his rebound attempt. This was a missed foul on rebounding, again favoring the Nuggets and disadvantaging the Rockets.

The third incorrect call took place with 47.2 seconds left. Amen deflected the ball from Murray during defense, and while both players lightly contacted each other fighting for the loose ball, the referees called an offensive foul on Amen. This was another incorrect call, again benefiting the Nuggets and hurting the Rockets.

The Rockets were disadvantaged three times in the last two minutes, resulting in lost points. Considering the Rockets ultimately lost by just three points, these errors and missed calls could very well have changed the outcome of the game.

After the game, Udoka complained: “I think the officiating in this game was terrible. Two of the referees were inexperienced and totally unfit to officiate this match, while the head referee acted like a fanboy. That’s why you see inconsistent and contradictory calls throughout.”