Nate Taylor

IndyStar

The NBA acknowledged Monday what the Pacers and many of their fans knew: The referees in Sunday’s decisive Game 7 made an error when they did not call a foul on Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan late in the fourth quarter.

The league, in its last two-minute report for close games, said the referees' non-call on DeRozan’s push of Ian Mahinmi with 16.6 seconds left and the Pacers down three points was the incorrect decision. When the play began, the Pacers gave the ball to Paul George, who was able to get past his defender and threw an alley-oop attempt to an open Mahinmi. But Mahinmi failed to catch the ball after DeRozan pushed him. The NBA said DeRozan should have been called for a foul, which would have sent Mahinmi to the free-throw line.

Instead, DeRozan caught George’s pass and dribbled up court before being fouled by the Pacers.

“I feel like they missed a couple calls tonight, to be honest,” George said of the referees after Sunday’s game. “I thought the Ian foul at the end was a blatant foul. Again, that’s the reason why it’s tough playing in a Game 7 on the road.”

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The NBA on Tuesday assessed a flagrant 2 foul to Toronto’s Bismack Biyombo after the league reviewed a play early in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game. Video showed Biyombo elbowing rookie Myles Turner in the face as the two battled for position to collect a rebound after George missed a 3-pointer. The referees did not call a foul and play continued after George Hill grabbed the ball.

The NBA did not suspend Biyombo for Game 1 of the Raptors’ second-round series against the Miami Heat, which will be played Tuesday night.

Of a less-criticized moment late in Sunday's game, the NBA said DeRozan should have been called for traveling a few seconds later once he passed midcourt.

A correct call would have given the Pacers the ball and another chance to tie the game with 6.5 seconds remaining. Instead, rookie Myles Turner was whistled for fouling DeRozan, who calmly went to the free throw-line and made both free throws.

In its full report of Sunday’s game, the NBA acknowledged that three of four incorrect calls by the referees in the final two minutes were a disadvantage to the Pacers.

Star reporter Candace Buckner contributed to this report. Call Star reporter Nate Taylor at (317) 444-6484. Follow him on Twitter: @ByNateTaylor.