In a nail-biting finish on Monday night, the New York Knicks edged past the Detroit Pistons 113-111. However, the close game wasn’t without its share of controversy.
With just under 10 seconds left and the Pistons leading by 1, Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo appeared to tackle Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson, who stumbled and lost control of the ball. This led to a Knicks possession and ultimately, the winning basket.
Upset by the no-call, many fans and basketball pundits voiced their displeasure. Pistons coach Monty Williams shared his frustration as well, openly criticizing the officiating during his post-game comments.
Monty Williams goes off on the officiating tonight.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 27, 2024
DiVincenzo, the player at the center of the incident, later shared his perspective on the controversial play. Despite initially downplaying the game’s officiating concerns, DiVincenzo acknowledged that his team ‘dodged a bullet’ in the game.
“You can go back the whole game and nitpick calls. Do I think we dodged a bullet overall? Yes. I have great respect for Monty & everybody over there. Like I said, we dodged a bullet with the win.”
Donte DiVincenzo on Monty Williams calling the no-call “an abomination:” “You can go back the whole game and nitpick calls. Do I think we dodged a bullet overall? Yes. I have great respect for Monty & everybody over there. Like I said, we dodged a bullet with the win.”
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) February 27, 2024
