All violations and steals are considered turnovers in the box score. So the terminology is not wrong. The commentators are looking at the turnover stat as a gauge to who is winning or losing and why they are winning and losing. That is coach and player talk, not officiating talk. This is no different than how in football there is so much focus on 3 and outs. It is just another way to explain what is going on in the game.
Peace