CHARLOTTE, NC, Feb 5 (BUS): The Cleveland Cavaliers nearly lost a game to a triple pointer that never made it through the hoop — and officials said they shouldn’t have counted at all.
Kevin Love made two free throws with 1.2 seconds left and finished with 25 points as the Cavaliers ran away with a 102-101 win over the Charlotte Hornets Friday night after a runaway fourth quarter, The Associated Press reported.
Garrett Allen scored 29 points and 22 rebounds a day after being eliminated in the All-Star Game, and Love scored 22 of his points in the second half as the Cavaliers overcame a strange technical foul on substitute Ed Davis to interfere. . This technique resulted in Hornets guard Terry Roser being given a triple pointer he never made — and officials later said he should never count.
Roser finished his tally with 24 points, and Kelly Ober Jr. added 21 points for the Hornets, who overcame a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter, but lost their third game in a row.
Things got weird when Davis, who had been off the bench for the Cavaliers in the warm-up sessions and hadn’t played a minute, was whistled for an interference when he hit Roser’s arm from the sideline with 4:44 left. Davis and others thought the play was over and the whistles went off after Dean Wade went overboard.
But officials met and awarded Roser three points and accused Davis of a technical error. Rozier made the free throw, completed a four-point swing for Charlotte and cut Cleveland’s lead to six points.
Crew chief Brian Forte said via a post-game pool report that officials made a mistake, and Rosier’s shot should not count.
“It was a misunderstanding among the crew about the play’s sequence,” Forte said. “When reviewing after the match, the out-of-bounds was called before the fielding attempt began and the shot should not be counted.”
Love agreed.
“We thought the whistle had gone off and[officials]were banging their heads because they thought Dean Wade was out of line,” Love said. “That’s when ED put his hand there.”
The Hornets took advantage of the momentum and took a 101-98 lead when PJ Washington hit three consecutive three-pointers and Uber added a 3 corner kick with 47 seconds left.
Allen cut the lead to one before Rozier missed the pointer 3, putting in a frantic and controversial few seconds.
Cleveland’s Brandon Goodwin missed a short jump with 2.1 seconds left, but Loew snatched the offensive rebound and looked like he missed the follow-up. But officials reviewed the play and called Rosier to make a mistake.
Love converted the restricted and flare free throws forward while the home crowd cheered his disapproval.
“It’s Kevin Love. There was no doubt in our minds that when he was going to the free-throw line, he was going to get both,” Cavaliers coach BJ Bickerstaff said. There isn’t a stressful moment he hasn’t gone through.”
The Hornets tried to get into an indoor alley with 1.2 seconds left, but Gordon Hayward’s arm to Miles Bridges hit the front of the ledge and bounced away.
“Our guys kept fighting and we gave ourselves a chance to win the game,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. “We kept fighting. There was a lot of emotion in a tight match and I thought our guys fought until the last whistle there.
Allen’s support
Love said he was “devastated” when he learned Allen was not on the All-Star Team despite averaging 16.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
“This is the guy I want to compete with every night,” Love said. “He’s an all-star. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
There is still a chance for Allen to make the team due to Kevin Durant’s injury.
“At first, I was disappointed, but then you have to look at the league and see this machine is well oiled and keeps going,” Allen said. “So, do I think I didn’t make the game or do I keep working harder and playing basketball the kind I have?”
The big second half
Low had only three points in the first half before he ripped. He made 6 of 12 shots from the field after the break, including 5 of 9 from outside the arc.
“In the first half, JB came up to me and said, ‘Why do you keep faking?’ He said, ‘No more faking.’… JB wants me to hit the ball — and shoot it with confidence.”
Hint INS
Cavaliers: 14 of 40 three-pointers. …All-Star Darius Garland missed his third game in a row due to lower back pain. … Lauri Markkanen missed his sixth game due to a sprained ankle.
Hornets: Hayward is back in the Hornets starting line-up after missing the last six league HSP games and struggling, finishing 3 of 13 off the field with seven points.
next one
Cavaliers: Host Indiana on Sunday night.
Hornets: Miami hosts Saturday night.