Are HOU Kidding? Brunson, Knicks Fall to Rockets in Controversial Fashion

The New York Knicks came all the way back from a 16-point deficit but a controversial foul call against Jalen Brunson marred an otherwise sterling fourth quarter.

Houston, we have a problem ... with officiating

A controversial foul call against Jalen Brunson rendered a New York Knicks comeback null and void, as Aaron Holiday free throws with less than a second remaining allowed the Houston Rockets to escape from an interconference tilt at Toyota Center with a 105-103 final. 

Brunson had previously tied the game on a jumper with just over eight ticks to go (the last two of a game-best 27 points), allowing the Knicks (33-21) to erase a 16-point deficit. But as overtime loomed, Brunson was charged with a shooting foul when Holiday launched a desperation three-pointer just before time expired, dooming the Knicks to their third consecutive loss. The active drought is the first time the Knicks have lost three in a row since dropping their final three of 2023, their final games before getting OG Anunoby on the roster.

Troy Taormina, USA TODAY SPORTS

Replays did not yield any significant contact from Brunson, but there was nothing New York could do about it, as they had already lost their challenge on an unsuccessful query to protest a Taj Gibson foul in a futile first half. Officiating was a thorn in the Knicks' side long before the fateful foul: New York was afforded only 12 visits to the free throw line (where it sank only seven) while the Rockets were bestowed 33 freebies. 

Friendly whistles, however, probably wouldn't have been enough to negate a brutal first half on the Knicks' end: facing a Rockets group that had lost each of its prior four, the Knicks jumped out to an early eight-point lead before Houston embarked on a 21-6 run over the final 6:11 of the opening period. New York never got the lead back after that.

The Rockets (24-29) kept things favorable by creating a defensive struggle, one that silenced a sizable Knicks contingent at Toyota Center. Hosting Houston forced 11 turnovers from the Knicks and Brunson into a 2-of-11 output from the field while building its double-figure lead. Four Rockets reached double figures over the first 24 en route to a 57-43 halftime advantage, one that could've immediately expanded when head coach Tom Thibodeau was charged with his first technical foul of the season for barking at officials in the wake of the early free throw discrepancy.

A combination of Holiday's miss at the foul line and momentum spurred by Thibodeau's tirade afforded the Knicks a speedy comeback: the Knicks scored the first five points of the third and narrowed the gap to two thanks to a 12-4 run. Multiple Houston runs, partly fueled by a 4-of-5 output from three-point range by Dillon Brooks, allowed them to stay ahead. Jabari Smith Jr. hit a three with five seconds left in the third, setting the tone for a Rockets surge that put them up nine with 2:43 gone by in the fourth.

Houston led by five with just over two minutes remaining and by four at just over 48 seconds, but the Knicks roared back with back-to-back Brunson doubles tied the game, setting the stage for the officials' crucial blunder. 

If anything, the Knicks could've taken solace in the fact that Bojan Bogdanovic came through in the fourth with nine points on 4-of-7 from the field after struggling in his metropolitan debut on Saturday. Donte DiVincenzo returned to the ranks of the double-decalogues with 23 points while Precious Achiuwa and Josh Hart united for 28 rebounds with Isaiah Hartenstein missing his second straight game. Brooks led Houston with 23 points while all but five of Holiday's 18 came in the second half.

Ref That! Knicks-Rockets Official Admits Bad Call Against Brunson

The Knicks' final pre-All-Star excursion lands on Wednesday when they face the Orland Magic in Central Florida (7 p.m. ET, MSG).