CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls’ comeback victory over the Toronto Raptors in overtime was aided by a pair of referee mistakes, according to the NBA’s last two minute report released Saturday.
DeMar DeRozan should have been called for a traveling violation with 6.3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, according to the report, a violation that would have resulted in a turnover. Instead, DeRozan got fouled on the play shooting a 3-pointer by Chris Boucher, sending DeRozan to the free throw line with a chance to tie the game.
The league also determined that Pascal Siakam should not have been called for an offensive foul with 3.4 seconds left after the Raptors inbounded the ball play. While the report does indicate that Siakam and Bulls guard Alex Caruso come together during the in-bound pass, it states that marginal contact occurs and Siakam releases right away.
“Caruso is not dislodged from his defensive position as a result of any illegal contact by Siakam,” according to the report.
Chicago was trailing by 17 points with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter before it pulled off a furious comeback to push the game into overtime, where the Bulls picked up their first win of the season.
