"LaMelo Ball fell" - Doc Rivers furiously calls out referees over 'blown call' in Bucks vs Hornets thriller

Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers had some things to get off his chest against the referees in charge of the Bucks versus Hornets contest on Saturday. The 2008 NBA champion coach was specifically unhappy about a call on LaMelo Ball that gave the Hornets the chance to take the lead of the game in the final seconds.

Speaking after the game, Rivers said that the final play was a blown call by the referees, insisting that LaMelo Ball slipped and fell to the floor without anybody else touching him.

"I thought the final play was the ref blowing the call. This is back-to-back games now where on the final play there's been an incorrect call made. LaMelo Ball fell. He just fell down. Nobody was near him. Slipped on his own. We come up with the ball. The game's over," he said, per reporter Eric Nehm.

As a result of that foul, LaMelo Ball received two free throws, which he made to give the Hornets the 115-114 lead. Giannis Antetokounmpo had the last possession of the game, but he failed the 18-foot step-back jumper, giving the win to Charlotte.

Ball finished with 26 points, nine, rebounds and six assists, shooting 7-for-20 from the field and 11-for-11 from the free-throw line. Miles Bridges contributed 19 points, Josh Green 15 and Brandon Miller 13. On the other side, Taurean Prince and Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks with 23 and 22 points, respectively, but it wasn't enough to move past the Hornets.

Doc Rivers' fake quote went viral on social media

Before he called out officials for the Bucks versus Hornets, Doc Rivers went viral after a fake quote of his made the rounds on social media. X parody account NBACentel tweeted on Monday that Rivers had changed his approach to the season and wanted to give his 100% to coaching the Bucks.

"Doc Rivers have informed the Bucks he’ll start taking coaching ‘seriously’ now, per @ChrisBHayne," they tweeted.

This became a running joke around the league, as Rivers and the Bucks didn't have the best start to the season. After this game, they dropped to 4-9, ranking 12th in the Eastern Conference standings. Giannis Antetokounmpo has voiced his frustration with this process and if the season doesn't end in a good way, he will probably try to get out of the franchise.