(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The undermanned New York Knicks fought their way back from a double-digit deficit against the Houston Rockets but to no avail.
After trailing by as many as 16 points, Tom Thibodeau’s team was able to even things up.
The game was tied at 103 with under a second left to play, and then, chaos happened.
Aaron Holiday pulled up from way downtown with a last-second Hail Mary to win the game, and the officials called a controversial foul on Jalen Brunson (via Jackson Gatlin).
Jalen Brunson fouls Aaron Holiday on a last-second heave. Insane. pic.twitter.com/nNVErkSoE0
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) February 13, 2024
The Knicks star contested the shot but didn’t appear to actually foul Holiday; it just looked like great defense.
Holiday wound up knocking down a couple of shots to secure a 105-103 win.
Notably, following the game, referee Ed Malloy admitted that the officials made a mistake with the call, stating that they officially thought the lower body contact was illegal, but upon further review, it was incidental and shouldn’t have been called for a foul.
This a brutal break for a team that’s looking to make a push in the Eastern Conference, and every single game counts in such a tight race.
The Knicks are currently 33-21 and in fourth place in the East, trailing the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers by two and three games, respectively.
Also, they’re just a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers, and they need to make sure to get homecourt advantage in the playoffs.
They’ve been without OG Anunoby and Julius Randle due to injuries, and they will have to move on after this tough loss.
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