The New York Knicks narrowly defeated the Detroit Pistons 94-93 on Sunday afternoon, taking a commanding 3-1 lead in their opening-round playoff series. The win, however, was overshadowed by a controversial no-call in the final seconds, leading to a heated reaction from Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and a series of admissions from the officials that they had made a mistake.
With 11.1 seconds remaining, the Pistons were trailing by one point and had a chance to win the game. Cade Cunningham attempted a shot from the left elbow, but it missed. After a scramble for the ball, the Pistons managed to kick it out to Tim Hardaway Jr. in the corner for a potential game-winning shot. As Hardaway went up to shoot, he was clearly fouled by Josh Hart, who made contact with Hardaway’s body and forced him into a row of photographers, causing him to miss the shot entirely.
Despite being in close proximity to the play, the official did not call a foul, and the Knicks escaped with the win. Bickerstaff stormed onto the court to voice his frustration, but the referees ignored him as they exited. Knicks players celebrated, despite the controversy.
Following the game, the officials admitted their mistake. Crew chief David Guthrie said, “During live play, it was judged that Josh Hart made a legal defensive play. 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.”
The NBA confirmed this in its Last Two Minute Report, agreeing that Hart’s contact on Hardaway during the shot attempt was more than marginal and should have resulted in a foul call.
Hart himself acknowledged the contact, stating, “Did I make contact with him? Yeah, I made contact with him. Was it legal? I don’t know. We’ll let the two-minute report say that. He shot faked, I felt like I kind of got there. I felt like I was kind of straight up … At the end of the game, it’s tough — especially that kind of play, bodies flying.”
Despite the missed call, the Knicks walked away with the victory. Jalen Brunson led New York with 32 points and 11 assists, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 27 points and 9 rebounds. Josh Hart contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds, helping secure the crucial win. Despite the loss, the Pistons dominated the boards, outrebounding the Knicks by 16 and outscoring them in the paint by 16 points.
Cade Cunningham had a standout performance for the Pistons, recording a playoff triple-double with 25 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds, becoming just the second player in franchise history to achieve the feat. Tobias Harris added 18 points and 8 rebounds, while Hardaway finished with 14 points despite struggling with his shooting (4-of-13 from three-point range).
With the victory, the Knicks now have an opportunity to close out the series in Game 5 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
