Washington Wizards' Kyle Kuzma, Head Coach Upset Over 'No-Call' After Brooklyn Nets Coach Touched a Live Ball

The Brooklyn Nets got away with some illegal sideline help during their Wednesday night game against the Washington Wizards, upsetting Wizards' Kyle Kuzma and its head coach.

Nets assistant coach David Vanterpool reached out and deflected a pass from Washington Wizards point guard Spencer Dinwiddie to Kuzma during the fourth quarter of the Nets' 119-118 road win in Capital One Arena.

Crucial 'No Call' Play After Brooklyn Nets Assistant Coach Deflected a Pass

Without a whistle or call, the ball bounced into the hands of Brooklyn Nets' Kessler Edwards, sending the game the opposite way.

With 5:42 remaining and the Nets leading 109-103, Brooklyn somehow got away with it. The coach's interference went unnoticed by the referees, and Nets player Kessler Edwards earned a steal as a result of the play.

Kyle Kuzma's only response was an outburst of anger, which went on deaf ears as the Wizards were unable to challenge the play. He was understandably the most upset about it during the postgame press conference.

The Nets assistant coach deflecting the Wizards' pass, according to Kuzma, was "horses**t."

"You know it's very unfortunate, but you just got to live with it. We had an opportunity at the end. I missed the shot, live or die with it," the Wizards' star added.

Kuzma has pleaded his case while the ball was still live. However, his complaints did not warrant a video replay as it fell on deaf ears.

The Wizards' transgression was explained by the fact that they lost the game by a single point.

Washington Wizards Head Coach Expresses Dismay

Joseph Blair, Wizards acting head coach, was upset by what happened.

"You asked me if he 'may have' touched it. There's no 'may have.' He did. My reaction was utter disbelief," said Blair.

The coach noted that in his "very long time in basketball," he had never seen anything like that, which the referees did not see and did not get a call.

The Washington Wizards will get a chance to bounce back from the loss on Friday night against the Toronto Raptors.

Even though Brooklyn didn't score on its following possession, Vanterpool cost the Wizards a scoring opportunity.

To make matters worse, if Vanterpool was caught, the referees might have called a technical foul on him, giving the Wizards one free throw attempt and the ball back.

The Wizards rallied back despite the deflection and had many chances to win the game in their final possession. However, Kuzma and Dinwiddie's three-point attempts both missed, putting an end to the Wizards' comeback attempt.

After the game, The Athletic's Josh Robbins served as the game's pool reporter and questioned crew chief Ben Taylor about the play. Taylor noted that his team did not see any deflections on the court during the game.

He also said that no "system" for a review was in place.

Vanterpool, 48, was a professional basketball player, mostly overseas, from 1995 to 2007. Since then, he worked as an assistant or associate head coach with CSKA Moscow, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and now, the Brooklyn Nets. The 2021-22 season marks his first in Brooklyn.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Nets Assistant Coach Touches Ball MID-GAME vs. Wizards - From Bleacher Report