Kelly Oubre Jr. has apologised for needing to be dragged away from the officials after they missed a late foul in the Philadelphia 76ers’ controversial defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
The Sixers fell to their fourth loss in their last five games on Wednesday, with Kawhi Leonard completing two 3-point plays late on to guide the Clippers to a 108-107 success.
However, the game ended in contentious fashion as Leonard appeared to foul Oubre on the final play. Following the officials’ postgame video review, crew chief Kevin Scott admitted the foul should have been called.
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Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse stormed onto the court to dispute the non-call, while Oubre had to be pulled away as he pointed his finger towards Scott and fellow officials B DeRosa and Brandon Adair.
Oubre quickly apologised for his actions, which could result in a punishment from the league, saying: “First and foremost, it was the heat of the moment.
“This is an intense basketball game, of course. We’re not perfect. The refs aren’t perfect. I want to apologise for losing my cool, because that’s something I try to work on each and every day.
“I try to represent God in the best way I possibly can, and that wasn’t it. So I just ask for forgiveness.
“But I saw coach Nurse getting riled up and if our coach is going to fight for us and he’s going there, then I’m right behind him.
“But at the end of the day, it wasn’t cool. So I’ll take whatever penalties come with that and you have to move on, but I’ve got to be better in a sense.”
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— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 28, 2024
Nurse said: “I think Oubre took it pretty hard. I looked at it on our computers a couple of times.
“I thought it was certainly contact, certainly as much as the last two or three that got called at the other end. I thought it was enough contact to call. That’s the way it goes sometimes.”
The Sixers are now 13-26 while playing without Joel Embiid this season, with the reigning NBA MVP still working towards a return after undergoing meniscus surgery seven weeks ago.
The Clippers, meanwhile, are up to 45-27, a record which is good enough for fourth in the Western Conference as they battle for an automatic playoff spot.
