THE PBA Commissioner's Office has suspended a referee for some officiating lapses that marked Game Two of the 50th Season Commissioner's Cup semifinal series between Barangay Ginebra and Rain or Shine on Friday night.
League sources confirmed the suspension but declined to identify the official and begged off from revealing the length of the suspension in the wake of Ginebra's 109-101 win that evened the best-of-seven series at 1-1.
READ Nose injury won't stop RJ Abarrientos from playing in Game Three
Game Two had both coaches up in arms over a few calls, with Ginebra' Tim Cone looking utterly frustrated during one stretch in the first half.
One of the most contentious calls came in the final minutes in the middle of a Rain or Shine rally in the fourth quarter, when banger Jhonard Clarito barrelled into RJ Abarrientos and hit the Ginebra guard with an elbow to the nose.
Abarrientos was called a blocking foul on the play. Worse he ended up with a nose injury that may require him wearing a mask in Game Three.
However, league officials were mum on whether that single call - vehemently protested by Cone and the Ginebra camp - was one of the reasons for the referee's suspension.
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