Russell Westbrook gets phantom call against Warriors

Gabe Fernandez

Russell Westbrook gets phantom call against Warriors image

Russell Westbrook takes a physical approach to every game he plays, which often results in a lot of contact on the way to the rim and foul calls rightfully going his way.

This was not one of those times.

With the Thunder already ahead by double digits against the best team in the league Tuesday, the officials decided to give OKC a break and call a foul on KD for "tripping" Westbrook on his drive to the basket.

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It's not like official Lauren Holtkamp can feign ignorance or claim her sight was obstructed. She had a pretty good view of the play.

Referees often claim that a game like basketball moves so fast that it's nearly impossible to call it perfectly. But this one seemed too obvious to mess up.

UPDATE: Durant chose not to be too critical of Holtkamp after the game.

"She just probably missed it, just like we missed assignments (and) a bunch of layups and free throws," he told reporters (per Mark Medina of the Mercury News).

"It was just a bad play, probably a bad misjudgment on her end," he added.

UPDATE 2: Westbrook, of course, knows he caught a break. Per Logan Murdock of the Mercury News:

"I just tripped. It was a missed a call. It happens throughout the league, a lot of missed calls that go on. Happens."

Gabe Fernandez