Not only did the referees not grant the 76ers a late timeout, but swallowing their whistles late had Joel Embiid cursing after a crushing Game 2 loss Monday night that put the 76ers in a 2-0 series hole.
Lost in the craziness of the turnover on the late inbounds pass that allowed the Knicks’ Donte DiVincenzo to hit a go-ahead 3-pointer in the 104-101 win is that Jalen Brunson may have gotten away with a foul that would have sent Tyrese Maxey to the free throw line while nursing a two-point lead.
Instead, no foul was called and the Knicks took advantage.
“Unacceptable,” Embiid said when asked about how the game ended. “Tyrese got fouled a couple of times. We just had the same thing happen against Miami with Tyler Herro. That’s just unacceptable to put us in that situation. That’s f—king unacceptable to lose a game like this, especially in the playoffs.”
After Brunson’s 3-pointer somehow went through on a high bounce off the rim to cut Philadelphia’s lead to 101-99 with 27 seconds remaining, guard Kyle Lowry grabbed the ball and looked to find Tyese Maxey.
While the other three 76ers did little to get open, Maxey tries to create space from Josh Hart and Brunson.
Maxey certainly pushes away from Hart while running toward Lowry before veering the other way. It’s possible that could have been called.
When Maxey tried to escape Brunson, though, the Knicks guard clearly grabs him at the hip, impeding his ability to get to Lowry’s pass.
Another angle shows Brunson holding Maxey’s jersey.
Those are two clear fouls that could have been called and perhaps allow the 76ers to win.
That slight delay led to the ball being tipped toward the sideline and Maxey jumping to grab the ball before falling to the ground.
Maxey fell to the court while gaining control of the ball, and Hart threw his hands up to indicate he was not touching Maxey, although it’s possible there was also contact there.
The Knicks gained control when Maxey tried to pass the ball, which led to DiVincenzo eventually hitting the go-ahead shot.
The 76ers believed coach Nick Nurse called a timeout, which would have prevented the turnover, but the referees did not grant one.
Philadelphia is already planning to file an official grievance over the refereeing 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. “Myself included, Nico (Batum), the coach on the sideline, but they didn’t give it to us. But forget about the timeouts. There was a bunch of fouls. Like I said, that’s f—king unacceptable.”
