Not only did the referees not give the 76ers a late timeout, but by swallowing their whistles late, Joel Embiid swore after a crushing Game 2 loss Monday night that put the 76ers in a 2-0 hole in series.
Lost in the turnover madness on the late pass that allowed the Knicks’ Donte DiVincenzo to score a go-ahead 3-pointer in the 104-101 victory, Jalen Brunson may have escaped with a foul who would have sent Tyrese. Maxey at the free throw line while maintaining a two-point lead.
Instead, no foul was called and the Knicks took advantage.
“Unacceptable,” Embiid said when asked how the game ended. “Tyrese was fouled several times. We just experienced the same thing against Miami with Tyler Herro. It is simply unacceptable to put ourselves in this situation. It’s really unacceptable to lose a game like this, especially in the playoffs.
After Brunson’s 3-pointer somehow bounced off the rim to cut Philadelphia’s lead to 101-99 with 27 seconds left, guard Kyle Lowry grabbed the ball and set out to find Tyese Maxey.
While the other three 76ers haven’t done much to get open, Maxey is trying to create space between Josh Hart and Brunson.
Maxey certainly gets away from Hart, running towards Lowry before veering the other way. It is possible that this was called.
When Maxey tried to escape Brunson, the Knicks guard clearly grabbed him in the hip, preventing him from reaching Lowry’s pass.
Another angle shows Brunson holding Maxey’s jersey.
These are two clear fouls that could have been called and perhaps allowed the 76ers to win.
This slight delay led to the ball tipping towards the sideline and Maxey jumped to catch the ball before falling to the ground.
Maxey fell to the field as he gained control of the ball, and Hart raised his hands to indicate that he was not touching Maxey, although it is possible that there was contact there as well .
The Knicks took control when Maxey attempted to pass the ball, leading to DiVincenzo finally hitting the go-ahead shot.
The 76ers thought coach Nick Nurse called a timeout, which would have prevented the turnover, but the referees did not grant it.
Philadelphia is already considering filing a formal complaint regarding the officiating in the first two games.
And now the 76ers find themselves in a 2-0 hole.
“Everybody on the floor was trying to call a timeout,” Embiid said when asked about a potential timeout. “Including me, Nico (Batum), the coach on the sidelines, but they didn’t give it to us. But forget about waiting times. There were a bunch of mistakes. As I said, this is truly unacceptable.
New York Post
