Everyone likes to joke about the quality of officiating professional sports, but they might be onto something this time. Indiana Pacers guard Lance Stephenson has quite the reputation for getting under an opposing player’s skin.
And, he was at it again last night. This time, Austin Rivers was busted…or was he?
This got Austin Rivers ejected 😂😂😂 https://t.co/MssBUlgS0p
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) March 31, 2022
Upon further review, no contact was ever made. Austin Rivers got ejected for making no contact whatsoever with Lance Stephenson. The Oscar goes to….(a Will Smith slap hits harder, honestly.)
If you had Rivers in fantasy NBA (and not many did), you surely lost potential points on this egregious call, as Rivers only accumulated 5.6 points on Fanduel and 6.75 on Draftkings. Neither player are typically DFS-relevant, but that’s not the point. We have bad nights. What we don’t expect is bad calls by referees costing us our hard-earned dollars!
Imagine if you had any of the overs on Austin Rivers for points, assists, or rebounds on one of the new DFS sites that are all the rage in 2022?
Austin Rivers Takes to Twitter
Never in my life have I been thrown out of Game for something so ridiculous. Seriously…never😂. League gotta look at this one.
— Austin Rivers (@AustinRivers25) March 31, 2022
The “League gotta look at this one” part of Rivers’ tweet makes an interesting case.
How accountable are the referees? Who kicks them out of games when they blatantly miss calls? From NBA to NFL, these missed calls seem to be happening more and more every year. Sometimes, they really cost a team (think New Orleans Saints a few years ago).
One thing is for sure, fans aren’t happy, either.
https://twitter.com/Philly_Sportss/status/1509345833132642307
Officiating has truly reached an all new low
— Jimmy Lee Ŧ (@JimmyLe48835872) March 31, 2022
because Tony B. is the NBA equivalent of Joe West
— TrytheDip (@trythedip) March 31, 2022
Luckily, the Denver Nuggets still held off a late rally by the Indiana Pacers (who led by as much as 31 points) to claim victory, 125-118. However, the Nuggets did fail to cover the closing spread on most sites at 9.5 points.
Did the referees have anything to do with the outcome here? Our community of DFS and sportsbettors is always chatting.
Even Kevin Durant chimed in last night…
This is embarrassing https://t.co/eGA8epyrSj
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) March 31, 2022
Hopefully, Austin Rivers gets some kind of formal apology from the NBA for this imaginary “malicious act.” And, hopefully, professional sports will ramp up efforts to hold officials accountable given the indirect ripple effect impacting thousands, if not millions, of sportsbettors across the country as sports gambling continues to explode and gambling picks services grow to meet the demand.
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Featured Image:
Mar 30, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Austin Rivers (25) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Duane Washington Jr. (4) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
