Wednesday, October 28, 2026

FINAL · HOW THE WHISTLE WENT

• MIA 129 · ATL 117

  “Called this crew average, and I still got humbled. Forty-one fouls, a quiet whistle, and Miami walked into Atlanta's building and won 129-117. I'm not reading another crew till I've had a sandwich and a nap.”

  Whistle: 37.6 fouls per 100 possessions, 7.3 under average. Crew read before tip: average, and it missed.

• WAS 111 · CLE 121

  “I called this crew average, and I was wrong. Cleveland beat WSH 121-111 at home on 35 fouls, and somehow I'm the one who missed the whistle.”

  Whistle: 36.0 fouls per 100 possessions, 8.8 under average. Crew read before tip: average, and it missed.

• CHA 89 · DET 97

  “We called this crew average. Forty-seven fouls later, that read needs a stretcher. Detroit won at home, and I'm the one who signed off on "average." Mea culpa, loud and proud.”

  Whistle: 50.2 fouls per 100 possessions, 5.3 over average. Crew read before tip: average, and it missed.

• PHI 114 · IND 109

  “I called this crew average, and I was wrong out loud. Fifty-two fouls is a bar fight with a whistle. Siakam had six and still scored 26, and Philly won in Indiana's building anyway. Don't tell the commissioner I missed.”

  Whistle: 50.0 fouls per 100 possessions, 5.1 over average. Crew read before tip: average, and it missed.

• ORL 99 · TOR 129

  “Called this crew quiet. Quiet? They handed out 53 fouls like Costco samples. Toronto 129, Orlando 99, and the penalty box is looking for me.”

  Whistle: 49.9 fouls per 100 possessions, 5.0 over average. Crew read before tip: quiet, and it missed.

• NYK 133 · CHI 127

  “I said average crew. Average my f*** foot. Quiet whistle, 44 fouls, and Towns still dropped 19 on five fouls, so I'm the one who got called out tonight.”

  Whistle: 40.2 fouls per 100 possessions, 4.7 under average. Crew read before tip: average, and it missed.

• HOU 132 · MIL 100

  “I called this crew average, and Houston went into Milwaukee and won 132-100. Thirty-six fouls, a quiet whistle, and I'm the one who got ejected.”

  Whistle: 35.1 fouls per 100 possessions, 9.8 under average. Crew read before tip: average, and it missed.

• GSW 119 · MIN 114

  “Fifty-three fouls and I called this crew average. Average, my f***ing foot. The Warriors took Minnesota's building 119-114, and that one's on me.”

  Whistle: 48.4 fouls per 100 possessions, 3.5 over average. Crew read before tip: average, and it missed.

• DEN 104 · NOP 91

  “I called this crew average and I was wrong, which is a s*** feeling for a guy with one good eye. Denver won 104-91 in New Orleans, Jokic had 21 on four fouls, and I'm still blaming the schedule.”

  Whistle: 39.2 fouls per 100 possessions, 5.7 under average. Crew read before tip: average, and it missed.

• SAS 117 · UTA 111

  “I called this crew average and got humbled in Utah's building. Wembanyama picked up four fouls and still treated the place like his living room.”

  Whistle: 33.7 fouls per 100 possessions, 11.2 under average. Crew read before tip: average, and it missed.

• OKC 96 · DAL 120

  “Quiet crew, 39 fouls, and the scoreboard still did the loudest talking. Dallas 120, Oklahoma City 96, in Dallas's building. My read held up. Nobody needed a whistle to know that s*** was over by halftime.”

  Whistle: 39.3 fouls per 100 possessions, 5.6 under average. Crew read before tip: quiet, and it held.

• LAL 103 · LAC 87

  “Lakers 103, Clippers 87, in the Clippers' own building, and my average-crew read held up. Forty-five fouls and nobody's crying about the whistle. Garland picked up two fouls and still scored 14, so the stripes weren't the problem.”

  Whistle: 46.1 fouls per 100 possessions, 1.2 over average. Crew read before tip: average, and it held.