Referee admits Olynyk flagrant call was wrongon August 4, 2020 at 6:22 am

6:30 PM ET

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — In a pool report issued after the game, referee David Guthrie said he had reassessed his decision during the game to give Miami Heat forward Kelly Olynyk a flagrant foul after he fouled Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry in the fourth quarter of Toronto’s 107-103 win on Monday afternoon.

“So on that play, at replay, Olynyk, we judged that he took an aggressive swipe and he made some contact into the facial area of Kyle Lowry,” Guthrie said in the pool report. “At replay, in my judgement, I felt like that did meet the criteria for a flagrant foul. After reviewing that more postgame, and thinking about it a little bit more, to me, it now is more of a natural basketball play going for the ball and that the contact really did not rise to the criteria of a flagrant foul. In both of these instances and cases, though, as always, I know that the league office will review them as they always do all flagrant fouls and they’ll make their determinations at the end of the day on what they think they ended up, in their judgement, that it was. But we had our judgments in the live game.”

The foul in question came after Lowry corralled a defensive rebound in the backcourt with 6:56 remaining in the fourth quarter and the game tied at 92. After the foul was upgraded to a flagrant foul 1, Lowry made both free throws, and then made a nice move into the lane to hit Serge Ibaka for a layup to give the Raptors a 96-92 lead with 6:37 remaining.

Toronto would never relinquish its lead the rest of the way — though Miami had a chance to tie the game when Goran Dragic missed a free throw with 41.4 seconds remaining (the only foul shot Miami missed all game, as the Heat went 15-for-16 from the free throw line) and then failed to get a single shot attempt off on either of its ensuing two possessions with chances to either tie or win the game.

Miami will be back in action Tuesday against the Boston Celtics, while Toronto plays again Wednesday against the Orlando Magic.