Caleb Wilson Burned By NBA's L2M Report for First Time in Bulls Loss to Wizards

Clutch Caleb tried to make his presence felt on Saturday night.

One game after icing the Chicago Bulls' first win of the season in Milwaukee, Caleb Wilson nearly added some more fourth-quarter heroics to his early-season resume. After losing the third quarter by 20 points, the Bulls surged back to make it a one-possession game with under a minute to go.

Wilson hit a triple to make it 118-112 before Matas Buzlies followed up with a three of his own. While a trip to the free throw line for Anthony Davis would give the Wizards a 120-115 lead, they were officially on the ropes. Wilson would try for another three quickly down the floor, leaving his feet roughly 10 seconds left.

The shot only made it halfway to the rim as Davis jumped for the contest. Wilson nearly fell to the ground due to Davis crowding him, pleading with the officials that there should have been a whistle. Alas, nothing was called, and the Bulls were forced to send Trae Young to the charity stripe to put the game away.

It certainly looked like Wilson had a strong case for three free throws. Would a foul call have led to a Bulls win? Not necessarily, as making all three would have only made it 120-118. But there is no question that it changes the trajectory of the game and only further swings the momentum in Chicago's favor. Also, while there is no guarantee Wilson sinks all three, he made all four of his late-game attempts just 24 hours prior!

At the end of the day, you want to see the right call made in such a key moment. And the officials confirmed one day later that they did, in fact, get it wrong.

Last Two Minute Report Takes Caleb Wilson's Side

According to the NBA's Last Two Minute Report this weekend, the officials missed a call that should have sent Caleb Wilson to the line with 9.4 seconds to go.

The report states that Davis made contact with Wilson's wrist, affecting his jumper and thus warranting three free throws. Once again, Wilson acted as if he instantly knew there was contact, turning to officials and throwing his hands in the air after a whistle wasn't blown.

Of course, the Bulls lost this game with an ugly third quarter, and Tiago Splitter admitted as much after the contest. But that doesn't change the fact that the missed call stings, especially when we consider the gauntlet schedule that lies ahead. This was a winnable game for the Bulls and, technically, they should have had an even better shot to pull it out than they did.

Chalk it up as another learning experience for the rookie, however. While there is nothing necessarily different that Wilson should have done, it's a reminder of the calls that likely will not come his way early in his NBA career. Likewise, it only underscores how important it is to avoid slumps like the one the Bulls had in the third quarter. Every possession counts.

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