The New York Knicks escaped with a 113-111 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday. Josh Hart sealed the game for the Knicks with a go-ahead layup in the final seconds. However, New York got some assistance from the referees, missing a blatant loose ball foul on G Donte DiVincenzo on the final possession, leaving the Pistons incensed.
Chaos ensued on game’s final possession
The chaotic final possession began with 30 seconds remaining, with the Knicks trailing 111-110. G Jalen Brunson missed a three-pointer, with C Isaiah Hartenstein tipping the rebound to old friend Quentin Grimes, now a member of the Pistons.
From there, Josh Hart knocked the ball away to Donte DiVincenzo, who then threw an ill-advised pass to Pistons F Ausar Thompson. As Thompson began racing up the floor, DiVincenzo appeared to foul him hard along the sideline. However, no foul was called, resulting in Brunson picking up the loose ball and finding an open Josh Hart under the basket to seal the Knicks victory.
Pistons head coach and star player share their thoughts on missed call
After the game, Pistons head coach Monty Williams declared the missed call “an abomination” and “the absolute worst call of the season” in a postgame tirade directed at the officials. The loss now brings Detroit to a pitiful 8-49 record, the worst in the NBA.
“I’d say livid,” said Pistons G Cade Cunningham. “That’s the word of the day: livid.” Cunningham did all he could in the defeat, delivering a 32-point, 5-rebound, and 8-assist performance.
DiVincenzo reacts to controversial no-call
On the other end of the spectrum, Dinvincenzo stated, “I went for the ball. I didn’t look at the play. You turn the ball over, the ball is in front of you, and you go after the ball. Like I said, I respect everyone’s opinion. I can’t speak on it until I look at the film.”
The win puts the Knicks at a 35-23 record, 2 GB of 3rd in the East. New York will look to make it back-to-back wins tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans.