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OKC Thunder coach Mark Daigneault is 'disappointed' by controversial challenge call
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- OKC Thunder coach Mark Daigneault is 'disappointed' by controversial challenge call
OKC held on for a 94-92 victory over New Orleans in Game 1 of its first-round NBA playoff series on Sunday.
It proved to be a wild finish, as CJ McCollum missed a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. And one moment that added to the chaos was a controversial call at the 2:40 mark.
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OKC trailed 90-88 when a pass by Chet Holmgren got deflected. A pack of players then fought for the loose ball before it went out of bounds. And since the officials didn't know who touched it last, a jump ball was called.
OKC head coach Mark Daigneault challenged the call, and further review showed that the Thunder touched the ball last. New Orleans got possession as a result, and OKC retained its challenge since it was deemed successful.
But the officials quickly changed the ruling to deem OKC's challenge unsuccessful.
When asked after the game about the challenge, Daigneault pointed to a similar situation that occurred during his team's 134-129 road win over Utah on Jan. 18. The Thunder got to keep its challenge in that instance despite the jump ball call being overturned to give the Jazz possession.
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Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault stands on the sidelines in the first quarter during game one of the NBA playoffs between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New Orleans Pelicans at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Sunday, April 21, 2024.
"I just looked it up because I wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy," Daigneault said. "I don't think I'm wrong because it happened during the year. But if it was wrong in Utah, I didn't get a phone call. I've gone the whole season understanding the rule like that. I was very confused just because it's a huge inconsistency.
"If it was wrong in Utah, I wish they would've called me. If it was wrong tonight, it's a playoff game. I was a little disappointed in that one."
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Fortunately for OKC, it still earned a narrow victory on Sunday. Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday (TNT) in Oklahoma City .
Daigneault was asked if he intends to call the league office for clarification on the rule.
"I'm just going to figure out what the rule is," Daigneault answered. "Because obviously there's a disconnect between what the rule was in January and what the rule was tonight."
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder coach Mark Daigneault is 'disappointed' by challenge call
