The NBA world reacted to Jay Huff missing two free throws that cost his team the win against the Los Angeles Clippers, something no one saw coming, especially with the Indiana Pacers picking up momentum early in the game. The Clippers secured their fourth straight victory, 114-113, further solidifying their position among the top 10 in the Western Conference.
NBA World Labels Jay Huff’s Underperformance as ‘Tanking’ in Pacers’ Loss to Clippers
The scoreboard showed the Pacers leading 42-21 after the first quarter, but the tables were soon to turn. They maintained the momentum for most of the game, but the Clippers rose to the occasion and tied the game 105-105 with 6:13 remaining.
The real drama unfolded in the final minute.
READ MORE: Jay Huff Fantasy Outlook: Should You Draft the Indiana Pacers Center This Year?
The NBA world called it “tanking,” when a team intentionally prioritizes losing games, and felt it was one of the most atrocious flops of the year. LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) shared a clip of the moment and wrote:
“JAY HUFF MISSED BOTH FREE THROWS WITH THE GAME ON THE LINE. THIS IS NEXT LEVEL TANKING.”
JAY HUFF MISSED BOTH FREE THROWS WITH THE GAME ON THE LINE 💀
THIS IS NEXT LEVEL TANKING 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/GAH7MtLDd9
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) March 28, 2026
Analyst Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnor) didn’t mince words when calling out Huff for how he played, commenting:
“Ball don’t lie. One of the most egregious flops of the year by Jay Huff. Terrible officiating to get fooled by that nonsense.”
Ball don’t lie. One of the most egregious flops of the year by Jay Huff. Terrible officiating to get fooled by that nonsense. https://t.co/TfXYMdtPjV
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnor) March 28, 2026
Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) also couldn’t believe how crazy the scene turned out to be and how Huff could miss two opportunities like it was nothing, captioning:
“Craziest NBA ending ever: Pacers had the ball down by 1 with 0.1 seconds left Refs call an unbelievable foul on Brook Lopez on a flop by Jay Huff. Jay Huff goes to the free throw line with a chance to win the game on a miracle… and MISSES BOTH CHAOS.”
Craziest NBA ending ever: Pacers had the ball down by 1 with 0.1 seconds left
Refs call an unbelievable foul on Brook Lopez on a flop by Jay Huff.
Jay Huff goes to the free throw line with a chance to win the game on a miracle… and MISSES BOTH
CHAOS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/pgPvmujyWM
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 28, 2026
BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) joined in, writing:
“ELITE tanking by the Pacers Jay Huff missed BOTH free throws to win the game.”
ELITE tanking by the Pacers
Jay Huff missed BOTH free throws to win the game 😭 pic.twitter.com/8A9W16YlOu
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) March 28, 2026
Leonard finished with 28 points, reaching 20 for the 50th straight game, becoming the 14th NBA player to notch such stats in 50 games in a row. Mathurin finished with 17 points for the Clippers. The Pacers will next face the Miami Heat, while the Clippers will face the Milwaukee Bucks.
