NBA Two-Minute Report backs refs: Smart fouled Butler

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Isaiah Thomas said it was a "bad call that cost us a game." The NBA, again, called it a foul.

The league's Two-Minute Report backs the officials who ruled Marcus Smart's light tap of Jimmy Butler's elbow in the final seconds of the Celtics' loss to the Bulls on Thursday night in Chicago was a foul. The report says:

Smart (BOS) makes contact with Butler’s (CHI) arm that affects his jump shot attempt. Any contact to a shooter’s hand, arm, or wrist prior to the release of the shot is considered a foul.

Butler missed the shot, but went to the free-throw line, where he turned a 103-102 Celtics lead into a 104-103 advantage for Chicago with .9 seconds left. 

Of course, the officials reaffirming the call won't lessen the sting of a loss the Celtics thought should have been a win. 

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