It was, in fact, an illegal screen.
The NBA announced Tuesday in its Last Two Minute Report that officials missed an offensive foul on Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam late in Monday night’s 98-96 win over the Celtics.
Before hitting his game-winning floater with 6.8 seconds remaining, Siakam was “late to establish a screening position” in Celtics guard Derrick White’s path and “(did) not give him the time or distance to change direction and avoid the contact during the pick,” according to the league. The play should have resulted in a foul on Siakam and a turnover to Boston.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla protested the no-call in his postgame news conference, replying “Illegal screen” to all six questions he received from reporters at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
A correct call would not have guaranteed a win for Boston — the game was tied at the time — but it would have prevented Indiana from pulling ahead in the final seconds. The Celtics had a chance to respond after Siakam’s basket, but White missed a deep 3-pointer as time expired.
The loss, which opened a four-game road trip, was the Celtics’ third in their last four games. They’ll visit the Miami Heat on Thursday night.