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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Blake Silverman

Ref Explains Why Ja Morant Received Odd Technical Foul for Full-Court Shot After Buzzer

Ja Morant Bill Kennedy OG Anunoby Drew Hill Knicks NBA the New York Knicks
Memphis Grizzlies guard Morant reacts during the third quarter against the New York Knicks at FedExForum. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

When Ja Morant fired a one-armed, full-court heave at the hoop just after the third-quarter buzzer sounded, the referees had none of it. He was quickly assessed a technical foul, which gave the New York Knicks a free throw that OG Anunoby sank to start the fourth quarter.

That sole technical foul shot turned out to be consequential, as the Knicks defeated the Grizzlies by one point, 114-113.

After the game, referee crew chief Bill Kennedy was asked about the call in a pool report conducted by Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian.

"Morant was assessed a technical foul for throwing the ball the length of the floor," Kennedy said.

When asked about the NBA's rule or policy against shooting the ball after the buzzer sounds, Kennedy acknowledged there's no rule against the action "if it's deemed to be a legitimate shot attempt." Hill then asked about Morant's attempt specifically, confirming the fact that the official deemed the attempt illegitimate.

"At the time on the floor, yes," Kennedy said, seemingly acknowledging that the technical foul call was questionable at best.

After an and-one from Morant to put Memphis up two points, Anunoby hit a clutch three-pointer with four seconds left which proved to be the game-winner for the Knicks. Morant just missed a layup for the win at the final buzzer.

Morant scored 25 points, along with seven assists and four rebounds in the tough loss. On a night where questionable technical fouls were handed out across the NBA, including one to Detroit Pistons enforcer Isaiah Stewart for running down the court, the iffy call on Morant became significant.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ref Explains Why Ja Morant Received Odd Technical Foul for Full-Court Shot After Buzzer.

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