Josh Hart scored the go-ahead goal with 2.8 seconds left and the host New York Knicks earned a controversial 113-111 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night. Hart’s winning score was set up by a blatant missed call with 8.5 seconds left and Detroit leading 111-110.
New York’s Donte DiVincenzo dove for the ball at half court and collided with the legs of Ausar Thompson, who was trying to gain control of the ball. No foul was called and the ball ended up in the hands of the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, who passed to Hart for the decisive basket.
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“The absolute worst decision of the season,” Detroit coach Monty Williams said after the game.
The referees admitted after the match that a mistake had been made.
“In a post-match review, we determined that Thompson got to the ball first and was subsequently denied the opportunity to gain possession,” said crew chief James Williams. “Therefore, a loose ball foul should have been called on New York’s Donte DiVincenzo.”
By then, Williams had grilled the officials with comments that lasted just over a minute.
“We’re tired of hearing the same things over and over again,” Williams said. “We had a chance to win the game and a man dived into Ausur’s legs and there was a no-call. That’s an abomination. You can’t miss that in an NBA game. Period of time.”
The result came in a season where not much has gone right for the Pistons. They have now lost six games in a row and their 8-49 record is the worst in the NBA.
“You can’t dive into a guy’s legs in a big game like that without there being a no-call. It’s ridiculous and we’re tired of it,” Williams said. “We just want it to be a fair game. Period of time. And I have nothing else to say. We want a fair game and that wasn’t fair. I’m ready.”