NBA Officials Acknowledge Critical Error in Final Seconds Of Hawks Loss Against Chicago Bulls

While it doesn't change the result, the controversial final play of Atlanta's recent game against the Chicago Bulls was indeed an officiating error.

Dec 23, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10), guard Trae Young (11) and guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) talk to the referee after a call during the game against the Chicago Bulls during the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Losing to the 2025-26 Chicago Bulls twice in the span of two games is a tough pill to swallow. That being said, it's very arguable that the Hawks lost the second game partially due to a erroneous foul on Zaccharie Risacher on the final play of the second game. Risacher was defending Coby White and while Risacher made marginal contact with White while playing defense, the Bulls guard sold the contact and flopped in order to get the favorable call.

In real time, it seemed like an exaggeration on White's part, but the referees did not overturn the call. Today, they acknowledged their mistake in their official L2M report. The official call should have been that White fell to the ground without interference from Risacher. Unfortunately, the Hawks did not have a timeout and therefore could not slow the game down in order for the officials to get a second look at it.

Not that it changes anything, but the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report is out for last night’s game.

The headliner is that they acknowledge the game-swinging foul call against Zaccharie Risacher in the final seconds was incorrect. pic.twitter.com/I9Xr99zgiq

— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) December 24, 2025

The brutal call just served as a proverbial cherry on top for an extremely disappointing night of Hawks basketball. For much of the game, the Hawks looked to be in control, leading by nearly 20 points and scoring at an efficient clip, but yet again found a way to beat themselves in the second half. In the fourth quarter, the Hawks would allow Chicago to go on a run and would see the Bulls outscore them, while Josh Giddey finished with a triple-double of 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 15 assists. Poor second-half defense has been a theme for multiple games in a row and it seems like the Hawks have no answer for how to fix it at the moment. The sequence that arguably lost Atlanta the game was the 13-2 run the Bulls went on to erase a 117-109 lead. The Hawks went from a commanding lead to being down by 2 with 12.4 seconds left.

In terms of what can be done to fix the defense, the Hawks did not have Mo Gueye or Dyson Daniels avaliable to them tonight. Both of them have been among Atlanta's best defenders, further compromising an already struggling defense. Once again, head coach Quin Snyder did not exactly help matters by playing Luke Kennard 21 minutes. He scored two points while going 0-3 from deep and 1-4 from the field. Attempting only four shots in 21 minutes of game action is simply too passive, especially on a night where the Hawks needed a lot from their bench.

On offense, Kennard's shooting 43.9% from deep on three attempts a night. His main responsibility on this team is to be a sharpshooter. Being hesitant to get attempts up flies completely in contrast to that. He's also averaging his worst assist numbers in three seasons and turning the ball over in 15.3% of his possessions (19th percentile among all guards). That has a major role in making Atlanta's defense worse because it means they're unable to compensate for their defensive issues due to their own offensive problems. On defense, he's a complete non-factor. He doesn't foul a lot, but that's about the only nice thing that can be said about his play on that end. The Hawks are 2.2 points better per possession with him sitting on defense, which is in the 35th percentile. That's unacceptable from someone who is also struggling to contribute on offense. He shouldn't have surpassed 15 minutes tonight even with the Hawks' lack of avaliable bodies.

Speaking of Kennard's shooting, Atlanta's offense didn't put up quite the same production that it did in the 152-150 loss to the Bulls. However, they still shot 58% from the field and 36% from three-point range. On most nights, that's enough to win games in the NBA. In a sadly all-too-familiar display of struggling to win on the margins, the Hawks' free throw shooting was abysmal tonight. They missed seven free throws in a three-point loss, which is unacceptable considering how tightly contested this game was in the fourth quarter.

Blaming the loss entirely on Kennard is unfair, but it's these types of frustrating decisions that have held the Hawks back this season as well as a lack of attention to detail. Here's hoping that these things get tightened up in 2026 as Atlanta attempts to make its first trip to the postseason since 2022-23.