Thursday night’s game between the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets came down to the wire.
After trailing for much of the fourth quarter, the Grizz were able to cut their deficit to 119–118. After the Memphis defense secured back-to-back stops, it looked for a second like swingman Jaylen Wells had a clear path to a go-ahead layup.
But before Wells could streak to the basket, the referee blew the whistle, indicating that Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins had called a timeout. Just one problem—he hadn’t.
The refs mistakenly charged Grizzlies HC Taylor Jenkins with a timeout while Jaylen Wells was on a fastbreak as Memphis trailed by a point with less than 15 seconds to play.
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 31, 2025
Memphis would go on to beat Houston 120-119. pic.twitter.com/W1pNLxQCc5
Jenkins was understandably upset, as replays would show that he had not indicated in any way he was looking for a timeout. While the ghost stoppage momentarily put the Grizz in jeopardy, Memphis was still able to pull out the win thanks to two made free throws on the ensuing possession by Jaren Jackson Jr.
But even though the call didn’t ultimately cost the Grizzlies the game, the Inside the NBA crew still had plenty to say about it. As Charles, Kenny, Ernie and Shaq went over the replay, Barkley couldn’t get over how blatant the miss was.
“I’m glad it didn’t come back to bite the Grizz. The referee made a mistake, plain and simple,” Barkley said. “He’s not even coming close to calling timeout.
“Dillon Brooks has got his hands up like, ‘I thought I heard a whistle?’ There’s a lot going on. But the ref just blew the call, plain and simple.”
'Inside the NBA' shows another replay angle, again showing that Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins was not calling a timeout.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 31, 2025
"The ref just blew the call, plain and simple." - Charles Barkley 🏀🦓🎙️ #NBA https://t.co/JbCPsMKb2I pic.twitter.com/AxzM0Rmezp
Jenkins was, understandably, similarly upset with the closing sequence, though he contained his frustrations while speaking with reporters after the game.
"We'll see what the two-minute report, or if the league says anything," Jenkins said. "My intention was not to call a timeout, I said ‘go go go.’ I wasn't even signaling a timeout."
Taylor Jenkins describing what happened when the referees called a timeout with 13 seconds remaining: pic.twitter.com/DTaChxA6oN
— Bluff City Media Grizzlies (@bcmGrizzlies) January 31, 2025
With the win, the Grizzlies moved to 32–16 on the season, good for third in the Western Conference. Hopefully the end of their next game comes with a bit less drama.
More of the Latest Around the NBA
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Charles Barkley Bluntly Calls Out Poor Officiating to End Grizzlies-Rockets.
