It was a wild night for the Timberwolves as they beat the Suns 120-117. And who else, but the Wolves’ latest member, Julius Randle, to thank for the insane finish! How insane, you ask? With the game on the line and just seconds to spare, Randle took the inbounds pass and drained a step-back 3-pointer right as the buzzer sounded. The shot sealed the win and sent the Target Center into an absolute frenzy. What a way to avoid overtime!

But it wasn’t without its share of foul trouble. Particularly, one that was way too familiar – the Jayson Tatum-Raptors controversial missed calls. So, what exactly happened with Randle? Here’s the play: with the game tied and just seconds left, Randle hit Josh Okogie with a nasty move that sent him stumbling, and drained a cold-blooded step-back three at the buzzer.

While fans erupted in celebration, some couldn’t help but wonder if there should’ve been a whistle on the play, adding another layer of drama to an already thrilling finish. Take a look at what one user wrote. “This might just be the worst game winner ever, how on earth is that not a foul omg.”

As you might already know, with the Last Two Minute report for the Celtics vs. Raptors matchup announced just hours before, this instance will only serve to further draw attention to perhaps another missed call.

According to Raptors and Blue Jays analyst for Sportsnet, Blake Murphy, “L2M report says yes Tatum fouled Poeltl, but Poeltl should have been called for 3 in the key prior, and yes, Tatum travelled on the winner, but Mitchell should have been called for a foul on Brown prior. Surely everyone happy with this, and the existence of these reports.”

The incident mentioned here happened with 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Potentially, a 3-second violation should have been called on Poeltl in that period. To make things even messier, Jayson Tatum got away with what looked like a foul when he bumped into Poeltl’s lower body as the Raptors big man tried to gather for a shot. No whistles were blown, though. And the whole thing ended with Jakob losing his balance and the ball bouncing out of bounds for a turnover. Tough break for Toronto!

It was, shockingly, one of four incorrect calls made by the refs in the final two minutes of regulation and five minutes of OT. Needless to say, Randle’s game-winner, as spectacular as it was, did not sit well with many.

Julius Randle’s buzzer-beater has fans calling the NBA “a joke”

“NBA is a joke. 100% offensive foul missed by refs.” This was another remark from a fan of the sport. And can we blame them? Not really. This kind of play is all about the details. Was there a push-off? Did Randle create illegal separation? It’s the kind of call—or lack of one—that can change a game. And when it happens in the final seconds, it gets magnified. Add to that the recent heat on NBA officiating after the Tatum-Raptors debacle, and you’ve got fans calling foul on the whole situation.

Another fan made his frustration clear with this remark: “You mean Julius Randle clear push off no call foul. Suns got robbed.” The fact that he mentioned clear push off likely refers to the perception that JR used his arm to create separation—a move that’s often called an offensive foul if the contact is too obvious. But in this case, the refs didn’t blow the whistle, and the play stood. Per this fan, it cost Phoenix the game.

This next one, though, kept it simple with a “Bro that’s a foul.” The guy is convinced that Julius Randle committed an offensive foul. No two ways! And finally, this fan has quite a creative comment. “The real game winner,” the individual wrote, followed by an image of a referee jersey, clearly referring to the ‘perceived’ bias that everyone’s been upset about for months.

Bottom line: Julius Randle’s game-winner, as incredible as it was, will always have an asterisk next to it. But for Timberwolves fans? It’s just another reason to celebrate their new star.