Utah Jazz: C.J. Miles fouled Kevin Durant according to the NBA

HOUSTON — The Jazz really did get away with one.

The NBA suggested as much Wednesday, when it released a statement on a controversial no-call in the final second of Utah's 140-139 overtime win over the Thunder on Tuesday night at EnergySolutions Arena.

The comment, issued by NBA league and basketball operations president Joel Litvin: "On the final play of (Tuesday) night's Oklahoma City-Utah game, the officials missed a foul committed by the Jazz's C.J. Miles on the Thunder's Kevin Durant during a three-point shot attempt."

Durant — who shoots 90 percent from the free-throw line, and would have been granted three freebies had a whistle been blown — was livid after the no-call.

Miles was credited with a block on the play, but wasn't charged with a foul — even though referee Tony Brothers was in perfect position to make a call.

Miles stood by his story of block — but no foul — even after the league issued its statement.

"That game is over with," he said before the Jazz's visit with Houston on Wednesday night.

"There's nothing I can do about it.

"I don't know what to say," he added. "Like I said, the game's over."

Miles reviewed frame-by-frame pictures of the play someone sent him.

"It showed me with my hand on the ball, and then after I hit the ball it shows how he kind of (reacts)," he said. "You would have thought I hit his legs, too. But, I mean, if it was a foul, it was a foul. If it wasn't, it wasn't. A foul wasn't called, so ... I said (Tuesday) night there was definitely some contact after I got a piece of the ball, but I didn't feel like I created it.

"Like, I didn't make him throw his arms everywhere."

Case closed, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan suggested.

"That's part of basketball," he said of the league's admission. "We have no control over that."

Sloan didn't seem to mind that the NBA issued a correction statement, something it rarely does.

"You can't worry about that," he said.

"They have to do what they think is best for the league, and we're there to do the best we can to try to win" Sloan added. "We didn't tell (Miles) to foul him — so you might call them back and tell them."

Oklahoma City, adversely impacted in the tight Western Conference playoff race, has no recourse despite the error.

"I think referees are great at what they do," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said, according to The Associated Press.

"I've talked to them as a player. I've always had good relationships with them and I still do. One of the things that they do, and they do it well, is they call the game the same whether it's the first minute or the last minute of the game.

"They have a tough job," Brooks added. "It's a tough job to be able to make the correct call and they do it high-90 percent of the time."

Even if the reversal may taint Utah's win, moving on is best for all involved, suggested Sloan, whose Jazz were definite benefactors of the original no-call.

"You can't do anything about it," he said.

"I don't know if it benefits you to continue to harp on it, or talk about it," the Jazz coach added. "The job now is to forget about that, and that's what you try to teach guys.

"Forget about the game last night, because you're going to have to play a different team in a different setting, different situation."

e-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com