Knicks File Protest To NBA To Dispute Loss To Rockets

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the New York Knicks are filing a protest to the NBA to dispute their loss to the Houston Rockets last night (2/12). 

With the game tied at 103, Knicks star Jalen Brunson was called for a shooting foul on Rockets guard Aaron Holiday, who made two of three shots at the foul line to seal the win for Houston. 

After the game, crew chief Ed Malloy said Brunson made “incidental contact” and that the play should not have been called a foul.

“After seeing it during a postgame review, the offensive player was able to return to a normal playing position on the floor,” Malloy said in the interview with a pool reporter. “The contact, which occurred after the release of the ball, therefore is incidental and marginal to the shot attempt and should not have been called.”

ESPN Sources: The Knicks are filing a protest with the NBA to dispute the 105-103 loss to the Rockets on Monday. Both the NBA’s L2M report and crew chief Ed Malloy acknowledged foul call on Jalen Brunson leading to Aaron Holiday’s two winning free throws was incorrectly called. pic.twitter.com/SKHKV6SNGJ

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 13, 2024

The Knicks and Rockets aren’t scheduled to play again this season, but New York is hoping to win the protest and play an overtime period to complete the game.

Only six protests in NBA history have been upheld. Barring a surprise, the Knicks’ protest will likely fail. 

“The thing with the officials — this is the way I feel about that, in general — is I don’t really care how tight the game is called,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “You can call it tight or you can call it loose. I just want consistency to be the same. And they have a job. They have to control and manage the game. That’s their No. 1 responsibility. They have to use their judgment, and I have respect for that. It didn’t go our way tonight.”

The Knicks are 33-21 on the season. They are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. 

If the season ended today, the Knicks would face the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2024 playoffs.