The clock at Toyota Center read 0.0, the last-second shot by Sacramento guard De’Aaron Fox was way off, and fans erupted as the host Houston Rockets were up on the scoreboard, 128-127. It appeared to be a rare bright spot during another rebuilding season.
But Wednesday’s happy scene didn’t last thanks to Ray Acosta, whose whistle couldn’t even be heard over the roar.
Acosta, one of three on-court officials, whistled a foul on Rockets guard Eric Gordon. The contact was minimal, and Fox had kicked his right leg backward, in Gordon’s direction, seemingly in hopes of a call. But once the whistle was blown, little could be changed.
The officials went to the monitor, but all that could be replayed was the time on the clock at the time of the whistle. Whether the call was accurate could not be reviewed without Houston using a coach’s challenge, which Stephen Silas could not do since he had already used one. In a rare postgame interview with a pool reporter, crew chief Gediminas Petraitis said he believed the call was correct.
Whatever the case, the whistle was blown at 0.3, and Fox — a great shooter — buried all three free throws to give the Kings a 130-128 victory (box score). Sacramento improved to 31-23, while Houston dropped its fourth straight game to fall to an NBA-worst 13-42.
To no surprise, fans watching the game — and especially those in Houston, partial to the Rockets — exploded upon witnessing the surreal scene. Here’s a real-time look at how it all went down.