NBA admits several officiating errors in the final two minutes of the Sixers’ Game 2 loss to the Knicks
The league's Last Two Minute Report determined that Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey was fouled twice while trying to secure a crucial inbounds pass. There was much more.
Following the 76ers’ crushing, last-minute Game 2 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday night, Joel Embiid called the officiating “[bleeping] unacceptable.”
The Last Two Minute Report released by the NBA Tuesday evening revealed that the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player had a point.
» READ MORE: Beyond the refs: Dissecting how the Sixers squandered Game 2 in the chaotic final seconds
Further review determined that Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey was fouled twice while trying to catch and secure an inbounds pass with less than 30 seconds to play, as part of the frenzied sequence that led to Donte DiVincenzo’s go-ahead three-pointer. Additionally, it was determined that Sixers coach Nick Nurse should have been granted a timeout during that period, which he expressed frustration about after the game.
“We don’t get [the ball] in quick. I call timeout,” Nurse said. “Referee looked right at me. Ignored me. It went in to Tyrese. I call timeout again. Then the melee started. I don’t know. I guess I’ve got to run out onto the floor or do something to make sure I get his attention.”
When asked if he received an explanation for not getting the timeout, Nurse said, “There wasn’t time to talk about it. But you can ask [the official], if you want to. See if he saw me call timeout. I just watched the film, just to make sure, and I’m clearly calling timeout. I didn’t see if he looked at me on film, but I could see me clearly calling timeout — twice.”
As that chaotic sequence unfolded, the report detailed that the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson “pulls Maxey’s jersey away from his body, which affects Maxey’s ability to secure the pass” from teammate Kyle Lowry. Then, New York’s Josh Hart “steps forward into Maxey’s space and initiates lower-body contact that causes Maxey to lose his balance and fall to the floor.” Hart then took the ball from Maxey and passed to DiVincenzo for a missed three-pointer, before an offensive rebound by Isaiah Hartenstein got the ball back to DiVincenzo for his big shot.
» READ MORE: Sixers to file grievance with NBA over officiating in first-round series against Knicks
The report also said that the Knicks’ OG Anunoby should have been called for a defensive three-second violation with 1 minute, 14 seconds remaining in the game, and that Embiid should have been called for a foul on DiVincenzo with 34.7 seconds to play.
The public acknowledgment by the league, of course, does not change Monday’s outcome. A Sixers spokesperson told The Inquirer following the loss that the organization planned to file a grievance with the NBA over officiating across the series.