Officials admit error on final shot in Knicks’ win over Pistons
DETROIT — Referees missed Detroit’s Tim Hardaway Jr. getting fouled by New York’s Josh Hart on the final play of the Pistons’ 94-93 loss to the Knicks on Sunday, the NBA acknowledged shortly after the game ended.
Hardaway’s 3-point shot officially came with 0.3 seconds remaining.
“During live play, it was judged that Josh Hart made a legal defensive play,” crew chief David Guthrie told a pool reporter after the game. “After postgame review, we observed that Hart makes body contact that is more than marginal to Hardaway Jr., and a foul should have been called.”
Had the foul been called, Hardaway would have gone to the foul line for three free throws that could have given Detroit the lead. Instead, the Knicks held on to win after rallying from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter. New York now has a 3-1 lead in the first-round series.
“Did I make contact with him? Yeah, I made contact with him,” Hart said. “Was it legal? I don’t know. We’ll let the two-minute report say that.”
The NBA puts out a review of all calls in the final two minutes of games decided by three points or fewer, with those reports released the day after the game. But in this case, with a pool report requested, the NBA had Guthrie explain what happened.
Detroit argued to no avail after time expired. Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff was clearly angered and approached the officiating crew on the floor shortly after the final shot, but he had no mechanism to challenge the call. The Pistons had used their challenge earlier in the game. Even if Bickerstaff still had the challenge, it wouldn’t have mattered; technically, no call was made, so no challenge could be made.
“There’s contact on Tim Hardaway’s jump shot. I don’t know any other way around it, there’s contact on his jump shot,” Bickerstaff said. “The guy [Hart] leaves his feet; he’s at Timmy’s mercy. I repeat, there’s contact on his jump shot.”
Karl-Anthony Towns made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 46.6 seconds left and finished with 27 points for the Knicks, while Jalen Brunson had 32 points and 11 assists in a physical game with few whistles from the officials.
Towns, a 7-foot center, made a turnaround fadeaway near the baseline with 1:29 left before connecting on a shot from about 27 feet.
“He has amazing touch,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He shoots the ball like a guard and he has unlimited range.”
Detroit’s Cade Cunningham had 25 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his first playoff triple-double — and the third in franchise history — but he missed two shots and turned the ball over in the final 1:07.
“He has to carry us on the offensive end,” Bickerstaff said. “That’s a heavy burden on him, but he has come through so many times.”
Game 5 is Tuesday night in New York.
The Pistons have lost nine straight home playoff games since 2008, equaling an NBA record set by Philadelphia from 1968 to 1971.
The Knicks expected Detroit’s best punch, then came out swinging.
Towns scored in the post and had a block, OG Anunoby had a block in the opening minute and New York went on a 14-2 run to take a 10-point lead midway through the first quarter.
The Knicks’ smothering defense forced six turnovers and scored 10 points off them to take a 29-19 lead after the first quarter.
New York led by as much as 16 points in the second quarter before the Pistons went on an 11-0 run to help them pull within seven at halftime.
In the third, when Detroit outscored the Knicks 28-14 to take a seven-point lead, Cunningham was the best player on the court. He had 12 points (on 6-of-7 shooting), five assists, five rebounds and three blocks.
The Knicks had a scare late in the third when Brunson limped off the court and toward the locker room with an apparent right knee injury, but he returned to form in the closely contested fourth quarter.
Detroit was without Isaiah Stewart for a third straight game because of a knee injury, and Bickerstaff said it would be really difficult for the rugged center to return in the series.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.