Kings coach Mike Brown rips refs; says Heat’s Tyler Herro traveled on game-winning shot
Kings coach Mike Brown was not happy with officials following his team’s 110-107 loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday at FTX Arena.
Brown made his feelings clear during his postgame news conference, saying he felt Heat guard Tyler Herro traveled before making a game-winning 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds remaining.
“We’ve got a lot of respect for the program, the Miami Heat, (coach Erik) Spoelstra and everything they’ve done, and Tyler Herro’s a great player, but he traveled,” Brown said.
“He traveled on the last play and I would not be doing my job if I didn’t come up here and protect my guys. My guys fought their behind off for close to 48 minutes, and to (see Herro) pump fake and then sidestep, or hop and then one-two and a shot, and not make that call, to me it’s just unbelievable.”
Brown pleaded his case at the end of the game, but to no avail.
“They said it wasn’t a travel,” Brown said. “If that’s not a travel, I don’t know what the definition of a travel is.”
Brown said officials missed “blatant calls” that could have changed the outcome of the game, including a foul on Harrison Barnes.
“It’s right in front of you,” Brown said. “And then to just say, ‘I didn’t see it,’ it’s tough, but then give them calls that are right in front of you. It’s tough to swallow as a coach because, again, you just feel for how hard your guys worked. … It’s just a shame that the game was called the way it was, especially in the fourth quarter.”
Herro scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter for the Heat (4-5), which won at home for the second night in a row after beating the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. Kyle Lowry had 22 points and seven assists. Bam Adebayo finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
Domantas Sabonis flirted with a triple-double, posting 22 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Kings (2-5), who were seeking their third consecutive victory. Kevin Huerter also scored 22 points. Malik Monk had a big game off the bench with 19 points and seven assists in 22 minutes.
Both coaches had to make changes to their starting lineups due to injuries. Brown started Davion Mitchell in place of De’Aaron Fox, who was out with a bone bruise in his right knee. Spoelstra started Max Strus after six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler was ruled out due to left hip tightness.
Sacramento came out blazing offensively, shooting 63.6% in an opening period that featured four ties and 12 lead changes. The Kings led by as many as seven in the first quarter but trailed 33-32 going into the second.
The teams continued to trade leads throughout the second period. The Kings shot 47.7% from the field with 17 assists on 21 made baskets and six turnovers in the first half, but the Heat led 53-51 after shooting 48.8% while amassing a 25-19 rebounding advantage.
Miami opened up a six-point lead early in the third quarter. Sacramento quickly closed the gap and took a 74-72 lead on a 3-pointer by Sabonis, who was 0 of 7 from beyond the arc going into the game.
The Heat carried a 77-76 advantage into the fourth quarter. The Kings staged a 10-0 run to take an 88-81 lead with 8:34 remaining. The Heat came back to tie the game on a basket by Herro and reclaimed the lead on a layup by Gabe Vincent, who spent two seasons with the G League Stockton Kings before going to Miami.
Sabonis made two free throws to tie the game with 12.5 seconds remaining, setting the stage for Herro’s controversial game-winner.
“It’s not why we lost the game, although I didn’t think we got a fair whistle, and I hope when the officials go back and look at the game, they can see it,” Brown said. “I thought Harrison got bumped on a drive that wasn’t called. That was a huge momentum swing for these guys.
“I kept telling the officials, they’re all great guys and they’re good officials, but at the end of the day, we have to go earn our respect because, right now, people get caught up in the hype and the excitement of the crowd, and they look at what’s on our jersey and see Kings, and maybe expect us to lose. I don’t know, but it’s just two blatant calls that were right in front of guys, and I feel bad for my players.”
This story was originally published November 2, 2022 at 8:23 PM.
