The NBA’s Last Two Minute Report shows that the Detroit Pistons actually benefited from two missed calls in the final two minutes in their loss to the New York Knicks.
The Knicks benefited from one missed call, but it was a crucial one.
The Last Two Minute Report states that Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo should have been called for a loose ball foul when he collided with Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson – causing a turnover – late in the fourth quarter.
The collision led to Jalen Brunson picking up the ball and firing a pass to Josh Hart, who ended up making a layup and drawing a foul to give the Knicks the lead.
JOSH HART GIVES THE KNICKS THE LEAD 😳 pic.twitter.com/6LDlRSrN6m
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Hart ended up missing the ensuing free throw, but the Knicks grabbed the offensive rebound before Hart was fouled again. He then hit 1-of-2 shots from the line for the Knicks to seal the two-point win, 113-111.
There were no incorrect calls – per the Last Two Minute Report – on Hart’s go-ahead basket or the offensive rebound by the Knicks.
After the loss, Pistons head coach Monty Williams was upset with the officiating, ranting about the missed foul call on DiVincenzo.
Monty Williams goes off after the Pistons loss to the Knicks 😳pic.twitter.com/2VbdWNJXLP
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“The absolute worst call of the season,” Williams said following the loss. “No call. And enough’s enough. We’ve done it the right way. We’ve called the league. We’ve sent in clips. We’re sick of hearing the same stuff over and over again. We had a chance to win the game, and the guy dove into Ausar’s legs and there was a no-call. That’s an abomination. You cannot miss that in an NBA game, period.
“And I’m tired of talking about it. I’m tired of our guys asking me, ‘What more can we do, Coach?’ That situation is Exhibit A to what we’ve been dealing with all season long, and enough’s enough. You cannot dive into a guy’s legs in a big-time game like that and there be a no-call. It’s ridiculous, and we’re tired of it. We just want a fair game called, period. And I got nothing else to say. We want a fair game, and that was not fair. I’m done.”
While the Pistons and Williams certainly have a case to be frustrated by that missed call, the officials also missed two calls in their favor, according to the Last Two Minute Report.
The first missed call was with 58.0 seconds left in the game. The Last Two Minute Report states that Pistons big man Jalen Duren should have been called for a loose ball foul, as he was holding the wrist of Knicks big man Isaiah Hartenstein.
Instead, the ball ended up being off of Hartenstein and led to the Pistons getting possession.
Later on in the fourth quarter, Duren should have been whistled for another violation. With 25.0 seconds left, the Last Two Minute Report states that the former first-round pick should have been called for a defensive three-second violation, as he was not actively guarding an opponent while in the painted area.
If that had been called, the Knicks would have been awarded one free throw, which could have significantly altered the game.
It’s unfortunate that so many crucial calls were missed, especially since the game was so close.
The win moved the Knicks to 35-23 on the season, and they currently hold the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons, on the other hand, dropped to 8-49. They have the fewest wins in the NBA entering their matchup on Tuesday night against the Chicago Bulls.
