Donovan Mitchell sent the best game of his career to overtime with an incredible play.

A little too incredible, the NBA said.

Mitchell’s desperation basket that forced overtime – off an intentionally missed free throw – and extended what became his 71-point effort for the Cleveland Cavaliers in their 145-134 victory over the Chicago Bulls shouldn’t have counted, the NBA said Tuesday.

The reason: Mitchell stepped “over the plane of the free throw line before the ball touches the basket ring,” the league said in its publicly released report that assesses calls made by officials in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime of games that were within three points or less.

Players who are shooting a free throw cannot go over the foul line until the ball reaches the basket cylinder. It’s a violation, the shot would not have counted, and Chicago should have been given possession with 4.7 seconds remaining and the Bulls leading 130-128.

Bulls Coach Billy Donovan knew Monday night that it was a violation, and predicted the league’s Last Two Minute Report would prove him right. The league has used the reports for years as a form of accountability and transparency, but outcomes of games are not changed by the discovery of a missed call after the fact.

“It doesn’t do anything,” Donovan said. “It’s like, ‘We’re sorry.’ … That’s unfortunate, because I thought our guys battled and competed.”

Mitchell intentionally missed the free throw because Cleveland was trailing by two points. He shot the ball perfectly off the back of the rim as he intended, went into a crowd of players to grab the rebound, and scored with 3 seconds left to tie the game.

That basket gave him 58 points, breaking Cleveland’s single-game record of 57 that was held by former Cavaliers stars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, and wound up forcing the overtime.

Mitchell scored 13 more points in overtime. The 71 points are the most in the NBA since Kobe Bryant had 81 on Jan. 22, 2006.

PELICANS: New Orleans is bracing for another extended stint without forward Zion Williamson.

The Pelicans announced that Williamson has a strained right hamstring and will be re-evaluated in three weeks. If that timetable holds, Williamson will miss at least 10 games.

Williamson was hurt Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

HORNETS: Charlotte guard Kelly Oubre Jr. will undergo surgery Thursday to repair a torn ligament in his left hand.

The team said in a statement that “updates on the procedure and his rehabilitation status will be provided when appropriate.” It isn’t clear how long he’ll be out; Oubre missed three of the team’s last four games with the injury.

TUESDAY’S GAMES

BUCKS 123, WIZARDS 113: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 55 points in a return from a one-game absence and Milwaukee beat visiting Washington, snapping the Wizards’ five-game winning streak.

Antetokounmpo has scored at least 40 points in three straight games for the first time in his career. The two-time MVP sat out a 118-95 loss to the Wizards on Sunday because of a sore left knee.

The only other Bucks to score at least 40 points in three straight appearances are Flynn Robinson in February 1969 and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in February 1972.

Antetokounmpo also had 10 rebounds and seven assists, giving him at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in his last three games. The only other players in NBA history to have three straight performances of 40 points, 10 rebounds and five assists are Elgin Baylor in 1961 and 1963, Wilt Chamberlain in 1963 and Russell Westbrook in 2016.

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