Damian Lillard to escape fine from NBA for post-game rant after Jazz controversy: Report

There was high drama at the Vivint Smart Home Arena this past weekend. Damian Lillard dropped 42 points against a Utah Jazz side that is currently fourth in the NBA’s Western Conference standings. However, with the Portland Trail Blazers down by two points in the dying minutes of the Trail Blazers vs Jazz game, Damian Lillard made a move to level the scores. What transpired next added to Damian Lillard's angst as he went on a rant against the game referees. However, the Portland Trail Blazers star is now likely to avoid facing a fine for his post-game antics.

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Trail Blazers vs Jazz: Damian Lillard to escape fine

With 13 seconds left on the clock, Lillard drove towards Utah Jazz and tried to even the scores with a finish over Royce O’Neal. However, when Damian Lillard got the ball on the glass, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert then blocked the attempt, leading to a goaltend appeal from Lillard. While the referees failed to spot the goaltend, Damian Lillard erupted in rage at the officials, blasting the referees during and after the game. A review of the play was not undertaken since the officials did not make a goaltend call to trigger a review. 

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Damian Lillard had to then be restrained by security at the Vivint Smart Home Arena. However, following the Lillard rant, the match officials did acknowledge their mistake. The NBA refs reportedly said that they had looked at the incident post-game, reviewing it on video and had come to the conclusion that they missed the play and a goaltending violation should have been called.

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According to reporter Chris Haynes, the Damian Lillard rant will have little consequence on the 2020 NBA All-Star game. The Trail Blazers vs Jazz match-up will next take place early in April at the home of the Portland Trail Blazers. All eyes during that game will, therefore, be on Damian Lillard and Rudy Gobert. 

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