Official Announcement of Major Missed Call: Harden’s Game-Winning Three-Point Shot Was Fouled but Not Called, Clippers Twice Wronged in Narrow Loss to 76ers

On November 19th Beijing time, the NBA officially released the referees’ report for the final two minutes of the Clippers vs. 76ers game. The report revealed three missed calls in the last two minutes, with the Clippers disadvantaged in two of them. The most notable was the foul on Harden’s game-winning three-pointer, which was confirmed as a missed call. Ultimately, the Clippers fell short, losing 108-110 to the 76ers.

The first missed call occurred with 1 minute and 43 seconds remaining, when Drummond of the 76ers stayed in the paint for over three seconds without actively guarding an opponent. This defensive three-second violation was not called, resulting in a disadvantage for the Clippers and a benefit for the 76ers.

The second missed call happened with 19.3 seconds left, when Zubac of the Clippers remained in the paint for more than three seconds without actively defending an opponent. This defensive three-second violation was also missed by the referees, this time favoring the Clippers and disadvantaging the 76ers.

The third and most critical missed call occurred with 7 seconds remaining. The Clippers were trailing by two points when Harden’s three-point attempt was impeded by Grimes hitting his elbow. The referees did not call a foul, later describing it as normal contact. However, the official referee report confirmed that Grimes did hit Harden’s arm, affecting his shot, and this should have been ruled a defensive foul, awarding Harden three free throws. This call disadvantaged the Clippers and benefited the 76ers.

In this game, the Clippers led the 76ers by 10 points after three quarters but collapsed in the final period, ultimately losing by two points. Harden scored 28 points with 6 rebounds and 5 assists; he had 17 points in the first quarter but only 11 points in the remaining three quarters. In the final moments, the 76ers employed a box-and-one defense to disrupt Harden’s rhythm. For the 76ers, Maxey led with a game-high 39 points, Drummond contributed 14 points and 18 rebounds, and Grimes, coming off the bench, added 19 points.