Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers were seemingly on the verge of trying their first-round NBA Playoff series against the New York Knicks Monday night.
Philadelphia found itself up 101-99 before Donte DiVincenzo nailed a dramatic three-pointer with just 13 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
DiVincenzo’s clutch shot came after Maxey fell to the hardwood and turned the ball over following an inbounds pass.
It sure does look like Maxey was fouled by Knicks wing Josh Hart. A still shows New York star Jalen Brunson tugging on Maxey’s jersey, too.
As all of this was playing out, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse attempted to call a timeout. His first attempt came before Philadelphia inbounded the ball. According to Nurse, he looked the officials right in the face and attempted to get a timeout a second time.
“I called timeout. The referee looked right at me, and ignored me. Tyrese Maxey got the ball. I called timeout again, he ignored me again,” Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse after the Game 2 loss.
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NBA Last 2-Minute Report backs Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
One day after the drama unfolded inside Madison Square Garden, the Association came out with its official last two-minute report.
In said report, the NBA admits multiple mistakes were made at the end of the game.
- “Hart (NYK) steps forward into Maxey’s (PHI) space and initiates lower-body contact that causes Maxey to lose his balance and fall to the floor.”
- “Brunson (NYK) pulls Maxey’s (PHI) jersey away from his body, which affects Maxey’s ability to secure the pass.”
- “Maxey (PHI) brings his hands towards Hart (NYK) and marginal contact occurs as Maxey releases away from Hart during the inbound. An attempt to call a timeout by Coach Nurse (PHI) during this play is neither recognized nor granted by the officials.”
This is some pretty damning stuff from the NBA itself.
Ultimately, New York would win the game by the score of 104-101 after Joel Embiid missed a potential game-tying three-pointer as time expired.
“F***ing unacceptable,” Embiid said after the game relating to the non-calls on Tyrese Maxey. The 76ers have also filed a grievance withthe NBA about how the end of the game went.