To borrow the catchphrase of the great Rex Chapman:
Block or charge?
The Rockets’ Alperen Sengun caught a body and threw one down on the Spurs’ Zach Collins but was called for the offensive foul.
OH MY SENGUN 🤯🤯🤯
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 9, 2022
They really called an offensive foul... pic.twitter.com/0GvjvHmFto
NBA Twitter went nuts.
Naaa Sengun just went crazy 😱
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) December 9, 2022
Rockets coach Stephen Silas challenged the call, but it was upheld (from my perspective, the replay officials are always looking to back the in-game officials if they at all can).
By the time Collins slid over and jumped, Sengun was already in the air — if anything that was a block. What the officials called was Sengun using his off-arm to create space.
I hate the call — that’s a dunk and an and-one. Not because it’s a great dunk — although it is that, too — but because Collins literally jumped into the path of an already airborne Sengun, Collins created all the contact. It’s on him. Under the spirit of the rules, Sengun’s off-arm is moot at that point — Collins illegally jumped in Sengun’s way and caused the collision.
Terrible call by the officials.
It was a good night for the Spurs, overall. San Antonio played its best defense in a while and Keldon Johnson — one of the few bright spots in a dark Spurs season — hit his first nine shots on his way to a 32-point night that sparked a 118-109 San Antonio win over Houston, snapping the Spurs 11-game losing streak.
Keldon Johnson balled out in the Spurs win:
— NBA (@NBA) December 9, 2022
32 PTS
7 REB
3 3PM pic.twitter.com/GacyCtt9xX
