The Wizards and Raptors played in the first truly competitive game of their first round series on Sunday evening in Washington as the Wizards looked to even the series at 2-2 in Game 4.
Bradley Beal did his part with 31 points and five rebounds in 32 minutes of play to lead all Wizards scorers, but with five minutes remaining in the game the All-Star guard was fouled out under somewhat dubious circumstances.
The foul in question occurred when DeMar DeRozan drove wildly to the basket and threw up an off-balance running shot the clanged off the backboard. DeRozan then tipped his shot on the follow and chased it down to the corner where he collided with Beal, who just happened to be standing there, and fell to the ground. Beal was assessed his sixth foul on the play and was understandably furious.
WOW. Brad Beal fouls out on *that*… tough call https://t.co/gg6LcJxLCm
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) April 23, 2018
It’s a difficult position for both Beal and the referees. Beal just happened to be there as DeRozan ran down the rebound while out of control, falling over when he bumped into Beal. When DeRozan goes down, it’s a tough spot for the refs as that almost always means some kind of foul occurred, but to blow the whistle there on Beal and foul him out is extremely tough.
The good news for Beal and the Wizards is that they were able to finish the game strong without Beal and pull away for the 106-98 win and tie the series at 2-2. Had they not, this would have unquestionably become a hotter topic of conversation going forward, but for now it can be just a questionable call.
