NBA assesses technical foul on Clippers' DeMarcus Cousins day after he pushes two Suns

Jacob Camenker

NBA assesses technical foul on Clippers' DeMarcus Cousins day after he pushes two Suns image

Scott Foster's officiating crew spent a lot of time reviewing the last 0.9 seconds of the Suns vs. Clippers Western Conference finals game Tuesday night.

Evidently, no one on the three-man unit saw Los Angeles center DeMarcus Cousins shove Phoenix guards Cam Payne and Devin Booker after Deandre Ayton made the eventual game-winning dunk in a 104-103 Suns Game 2 victory.

The NBA did see it, however. After reviewing the play, the league decided Wednesday that it warranted a technical foul and retroactively assessed one to Cousins.

MORE: How the Suns executed the perfect game-winning play vs. Clippers

The NBA's announcement and video of the incident:

That wasn't much from Cousins, but it's important to note that this occurred during a dead-ball situation. That's why it was eventually ruled a technical foul.

That said, the call wasn't made in-game. The Suns would have had a chance to attempt a free throw to extend their lead to two points and give themselves more breathing room had the referees seen it.

Ultimately, the incident had a minimal impact on the game. The Clippers were unable to get off a last-gasp shot attempt in the 0.7 seconds the refs put back on the clock after reviewing Ayton's dunk.

Phoenix leads the best-of-seven series 2-0. It will look to go up 3-0 on Thursday in Game 3 (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Los Angeles. Suns point guard Chris Paul (safety protocols) is expected to return to the lineup.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.