Watch: ‘Furious’ Chauncey Billups loses his mind on the referee’s decision of not granting Trail Blazers a timeout in dying seconds during game against the Thunder

The Thunder received free throws for the technical foul. Gilgeous-Alexander converted one of them to tie the game. Williams then proceeded to shoot the game-winning shot with 5 seconds left on the clock. The Trail Blazers still had one final shot. A lob for Deandre Ayton was stolen near the rim by Gilgeous-Alexander to win the game.

Had the time-out been called at the right time, the Trail Blazers would have shed 10 seconds off the clock. With the Trailblazers up 1 at that moment, the call could have saved the game for them. Billups had to be pulled away by his staff to avoid further ramifications from the referees and the league.

Portland Trail Blazers trying to win under Chauncey Billups

The Portland Trail Blazers are trying to move on after trading perennial All-Star and franchise cornerstone Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks this off-season. In their first season without Lillard, the Trail Blazers drafted his heir apparent in Scoot Henderson. Also acquiring Brogdon, Ayton, and Robert Williams III in trades, the Trail Blazers were hoping to have a decent season while Henderson developed.

But so far, the team is second-last in the Western Conference with a 12-31 record. Williams III is out for the season. Henderson mostly comes off the bench. But in this game, the Blazers showed some fight in them. After all, leading in the last few seconds against the second-best team in the conference speaks volumes. Chauncey Billups is slowly setting the team up for success.

Under Billups’ guidance, the team could have a bright future. Billups showed his IQ in calling the time-out at the right time. If the referee had given it correctly, it would have been a famous win for the struggling franchise.