The New York Knicks have made a decision to file a protest against their recent loss to the Houston Rockets due to an incorrect foul call, according to a source familiar with the matter. The game, which ended with a score of 105-103 in favor of the Rockets, saw Aaron Holiday awarded two free throws with just 0.3 seconds left on the clock after he was fouled by Jalen Brunson behind the 3-point line. However, crew chief Ed Malloy acknowledged after the game that the contact between the players was minimal and the foul should not have been called.
The Knicks' decision to protest the game has been made known to the NBA but has not yet been publicly announced. News of their intentions was first reported by ESPN. Although the NBA's last 2-minute report on Tuesday confirmed that the foul call was indeed incorrect, it is still uncertain whether the protest will be successful. Protests in the NBA are typically filed for the misapplication of rules or procedures, rather than for incorrect calls. In fact, the league has not upheld a protest since the 2007-2008 season, when a mistake by the Atlanta stat crew resulted in Shaquille O'Neal of the Miami Heat fouling out of a game when he had only committed five fouls. In that particular case, the league ordered a replay of the final 51.9 seconds of the game.
