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(AP) – Donovan Mitchell sent the best game of his career into overtime with incredible play.

A little unbelievable, said the NBA.

Mitchell’s desperate basket, which deliberately missed a free throw to force overtime and extended the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 71-point effort against the Chicago Bulls, who won 145-134, shouldn’t have counted.

Reason: Mitchell “crossed the plane of the free-throw line before the ball touched the basket ring,” the league said in a public report evaluating calls made by officials in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and in extra time. said in It was within 3 points.

A player making a free throw may not cross the foul line until the ball reaches the basket cylinder. This was a violation, the shot didn’t count, and he should have given Chicago the possession with 4.7 seconds left and the Bulls leading him 130-128.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan knew it was a violation Monday night and predicted the league’s final two-minute report would prove him right. I’ve used the report for years, but discovering missed calls after the fact doesn’t change the outcome of the game.

“It does nothing,” said Donovan. “It’s like, ‘I’m sorry.’

With Cleveland trailing by two points, Mitchell deliberately missed a free throw. He shot the ball perfectly from behind the rim as intended, dove into the crowd, grabbed the rebound and scored with his three seconds remaining to tie the game.

That basket gave him 58 points, breaking the Cleveland single-game record of 57 held by former Cavaliers stars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, and forced overtime.

Mitchell scored another 13 points in overtime. The 71 points is the most in the NBA since Kobe Bryant’s 81 on January 22, 2006.