The New York Knicks lose to the Houston Rockets 105-103 in frustrating fashion as referees’ whistles erase Jalen Brunson’s game-tying field goal.
The New York Knicks lost to the Houston Rockets 105-103 in a game that ended on a dubious foul call. The free throw disparity in this game would make Tim Donaghy blush.
The Knicks looked sloppy throughout most of the action, a testament to Houston’s defense and the refs allowing physicality we don’t typically see. That would be okay if the game were called evenly, but every Knicks starter picked up at least three fouls, and their big men grappled with foul trouble. Houston attempted 33 free throws to New York’s 12, including three free throw attempts with the game tied and 0.3 seconds left.
Turnovers and patches of poor ball movement hampered the Knicks as much as the refs. But they fought, which shows in their winning the rebound battle 51-39. New York turned up in the second half, tying the game on a late two-pointer from Jalen Brunson. Then, the referees made a call that Ed Malloy would later admit was wrong, and Aaron Holiday hit a pair of free throws before purposefully missing a third to end the game.
This wasn’t a pretty game for either side, but it was especially egregious for the refs. Let’s see how the Knicks almost overcame a tough defense and some of the worst officiating I’ve seen all season.
The Knicks’ starters battle the refs as much as the Rockets
Jalen Brunson: 27 PTS (10/25 FG, 2/6 3PT, 5/8 FT), 7 AST, 4 REB, 5 TO in 39 mins
Jalen Brunson started the game by missing a slew of shots. He stepped into several open three-pointers that rimmed out. Every time the Knicks’ leader attacked the lanes, Dillon Brooks made sure to bump, prop, and sometimes shoulder-check him. Brunson played through contact that Patrick Mahomes could draw a flag for.
The lack of whistles followed Brunson to the opposite end. He tried to draw charges and got called for blocking, and at one point, Brooks dropped his shoulder to plow right through Brunson for one of those whistles. Brunson couldn’t draw moving screen calls either. So, New York’s All-Star got beaten up without the referees’ protection.
I’m highlighting the amount of abuse Brunson took because his 10 for 25 from the field and five turnovers are easily forgiven. He turned a terrible first half into double-digit scoring in the third quarter and a game-tying shot at the end of the game. Brunson was better than his numbers and earned a 3 out of 5 for battling through adversity.
Donte DiVincenzo: 23 PTS (9/21 FG, 5/14 3PT), 4 AST, 5 REB, 2 STL, 3 TO in 41 mins
Donte DiVincenzo ran out of gas. He started the game by sinking his first three attempts behind the arc. His shooting earned New York an eight-point lead in the early going. But his jumper went cold after that, and he never found consistent success driving to the basket.
We saw a similar slowdown for DiVo in his playmaking and defense. He threw some nice dimes off weak side drives and kicks, but those attacks became sloppy as the game continued. His defense was always respectable but lacked bite by the time the fourth quarter began.
DiVincenzo’s slowdown can probably be explained by the fact that he played all but two minutes of the first three-quarters. He was running on fumes and his legs weren’t there for his jumper. Given the circumstances, he still managed good production and earned a 2.5 out of 5 for an off night.
Josh Hart: 17 PTS (7/11 FG, 3/5 3PT), 5 AST, 11 REB, 2 STL, 2 TO in 42 mins
The Rockets physicality couldn’t shake Josh Hart. It may have even sparked him. Hart seemed fired up as he drove for a few finishes and came to life from three. The Knicks’ Swiss army knife hit a pair of three-pointers during the fourth-quarter comeback. He still picked his spots to attack, but did so as effectively as we’ve seen all year.
Hart’s up to eight consecutive double-digit rebounding efforts, with nine in the game before the streak began. During that span, he’s averaged 6.3 assists per game. The would-be sixth man has stepped up as a starter to cover many holes. His only flaw during this stretch has been poor shooting, which wasn’t a problem against the Rockets.
Hart played a fantastic game. The Rockets gave New York their best punch, and Hart embraced the physicality with his own. He gets a 3.5 out of 5 for fighting back.
Precious Achiuwa: 8 PTS (4/8 FG, 0/1 3PT, 0/1 FT), 17 REB, 3 BLK, 3 TO in 39 mins
Speaking of players who thrived in the physical nature of this contest, Precious Achiuwa played a huge role. He menaced the offensive boards, grabbing nine, which included some crucial putbacks. His blocks included an emphatic denial of Amen Thompson at the rim with seconds to go in the game. Precious didn’t back down.
Achiuwa’s defense shined in fourth-quarter isolations against Alperin Sengun. Sengun is a tough assignment for anyone, and he’d drawn fouls on other big men. Precious had the strength to keep Sengun away from easy looks at the rim and the mobility to avoid fouls. The Rockets’ big man barely managed a single basket in the waning minutes of the action.
Achiuwa is a Thibodeau kind of player. He plays hard on every possession and rarely tries to do too much. I’m wondering if there are avenues to re-sign Precious and keep him in New York long-term. The former Raptor gets a 3 out of 5 for his defensive effort and rebounding.
Jericho Sims: 4 PTS (2/3 FG), 7 REB, 1 TO in 29 mins
Jericho Sims’ numbers look modest compared to the rest of the starters. Don’t let that fool you; Sims’ presence was felt. We’re fresh off watching the Pacers score in the paint at will, so the contrast in Houston was obvious. The Rockets didn’t challenge Sims comfortably, missing shots at the rim or trying to pass out at the last second.
Sims grabbed seven boards, which is good enough, but it doesn’t capture the times he cleared space for Hart and Achiuwa to get boards. The Rockets also knocked a few balls out of bounds and picked up loose ball fouls, trying to keep Sims out of position.
It’s a modest line for a bigger impact. Sims was good in this game, providing the Knicks a center they’d sorely missed. He gets a 2.5 out of 5 for a nice performance.
Bojan heats up for New York’s second unit
Miles McBride: 4 PTS (2/2 FG) in 5 mins
Miles McBride made the most of the few pick-and-roll touches he got. He flashed the pull-up jumper from midrange again. But most of his five minutes were spent watching Burks and Bojan isolate in an abysmal second quarter for the team. He’s the odd man out despite playing well before the Pistons trade.
Alec Burks: 5 PTS (1/8 FG, 1/5 3PT, 2/2 FT), 2 AST, 1 REB, 1 TO in 17 mins
Alec Burks is not a point guard, but Tom Thibodeau has been determined to make Point Burks work for two stints now. The second quarter of this game featured Alec Burks dribbling through screens only to pull up for contested jumpers. Burks’ only field goal of the game came on a catch-and-shoot opportunity, while the lion’s share of his bricks came off the dribble.
Burks wasn’t a momentum-killer for the Knicks, he was a momentum-creator for Houston. His possessions leading the attack were some of the worst in the game. In fairness, he hit a big three from the corner late. But that’s too little too late.
I understand that Burks needs to find his rhythm and gel with the players, but it won’t happen like this. He’s looked far better as a weak-side option than a lead ball handler. He gets a 1 out of 5 as he’s still trying to find his way.
Bojan Bogdanovic: 15 PTS (7/13 FG, 1/5 3PT, 0/1 FT), 4 REB, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 23 mins
Bojan Bogdanovic looked out of rhythm in his first half minutes. That was during the Burks debacle, but Bojan missed a few open looks and only found success by attacking the basket.
Bogdanovic came out in the second half with more assertion. He posted up smaller defenders like Holiday and shot over bigger, plodding bodies by creating space off the dribble. Bojan’s hot hand kept the bench alive and bought precious minutes of rest for Brunson.
I’ll also shout out Bojan’s defensive effort. Effort is the key word—he tried hard which led to a block and helped force a turnover. But he was still hampered by limited mobility, which meant some Rockets like Amen Thompson and even Jae’Sean Tate blew by him. Bogdanovic gets a 2.5 out of 5 for his fourth-quarter heroics.
Taj Gibson: 0 PTS (0/1 FG), 1 AST, 2 REB in 5 mins
Taj moved better in this game than last. He got to some boards and even sprinted off the bench to help Bojan up after a fall. But Gibson gassed just as fast as in previous games. So, his legs showed a few signs of coming back, but he only had five minutes of energy before breathing heavy. He’s not in game shape yet.
Tom Thibodeau stretches his starters thin
Tom Thibodeau played his starters the entire third quarter to try to stage a comeback. This strategy backfired when he continued to play four of the starters to start the fourth quarter. The fatigued players were beaten to loose balls and failed to get stops against the Rockets’ second unit. The Knicks went from down by three to down by nine before Thibodeau called a time-out and started making changes to prompt another comeback.
That was too little too late. Thibodeau also hit a “too much, too early” in wasting his challenge on a call against Taj Gibson. It made sense to try and protect a big man’s fouls, but the lost challenge meant Thibs couldn’t challenge some obvious misses by the refs later on.
Closing Thoughts:
This is the most frustrating loss of the season. The Knicks have lost four of their last five and three in a row. They should have had a chance to win this game in overtime, but the refs admittedly blew a crucial call. Jalen Brunson will limp through the season because refs aren’t giving him any respect.
Brunson entered the game with a black eye from a no-call against the Pacers. He picked up a turnover on that play. With the Rockets, he had Dillon Brooks assaulting him with a smile, and the refs did nothing. We have the league’s smallest star, and the referees refuse to protect him, even when players twice his size try to rough him up.
I don’t know how to begin a pressure campaign to get Brunson his respect from the refs, but our fanbase has plenty of sports media reeling. We’ve stepped up to ensure no one caps about Brunson without issuing clarifications and apologies a day later. I wonder if we can bother Adam Silver enough to address the precedent refs have set that it’s okay to beat up on Brunson.
The Magic are next before a desperately needed All-Star break. Hopefully, players are ready to go after that because the home stretch begins after. I’ll see you next, Knicks fam!
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