In a thrilling match, the Cavs beat the Hornets.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers were on the verge of losing a game because of a 3-pointer that never went through the hoop and never should have counted, according to officials. Following a frantic fourth quarter, the Cavaliers escaped with a 102-101 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Kevin Love converted two free throws with 1.2 seconds left and finished with 25 points.
One day after being snubbed for the All-Star game, Jarrett Allen had a career-high 29 points and 22 rebounds, while Love scored 22 of his points in the second half as the Cavaliers overcame a weird technical call on bench player Ed Davis for interfering. Following the technical, Hornets player Terry Rozier was awarded a 3-pointer that he never hit — and that officials subsequently acknowledged should never have counted.
Clutch.@kevinlove | #LetEmKnow https://t.co/nRbS2DDq4F pic.twitter.com/hBDAHmJQiA
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 5, 2022
Rozier had 24 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 21 for the Hornets, who rallied back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter only to lose their third game in a row.
With 4:44 left in the game, Davis, who was warming up on the Cavaliers’ bench and had never played a minute, was penalized for interference when he slapped at Rozier’s arm from the sideline. After Dean Wade went out of bounds, Davis and others assumed the game was over and whistles had sounded.
However, referees agreed to award Rozier three points and a technical foul to Davis. Charlotte completed a four-point swing with Rozier’s free throw, trimming Cleveland’s advantage to six points.
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Following the game, crew chief Brian Forte stated in a pool report that referees made a mistake and that Rozier’s shot must never was to be counted.
“It was miscommunication amongst the crew about the sequence of the play. Upon review after the game, the out of bounds was called prior to the start of the field goal attempt and the shot should not have counted.”
When P.J. Washington made back-to-back 3-pointers and Oubre added a corner 3 with 47 seconds remaining, the Hornets pounced on the momentum and took a 101-98 lead.
Before Rozier missed a 3-pointer, Allen trimmed the margin to one, setting up a frenzied and contentious last few seconds.
With 2.1 seconds remaining, Cleveland’s Brandon Goodwin missed a short shot, but Love collected the offensive rebound and seemed to miss the follow-up. Officials, on the other hand, examined the play and called Rozier for a foul.
The home crowd erupted in applause as Love made the tying and game-winning free throws.
With 1.2 seconds remaining, the Hornets attempted an inbound alley-oop, but Gordon Hayward’s lob to Miles Bridges struck the front of the rim and bounced away.
