The NBA released its Last Two Minute report for the Knicks' narrow loss to the Timberwolves on Tuesday night, and New York fans likely won't be happy to see the results.
The league said that three calls in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter were incorrect, both of which disadvantaged the Knicks. One of the incorrect calls, which was ruled a defensive foul on Julius Randle when Karl-Anthony Towns converted a go-ahead and-one with 30 seconds left, should have been an offensive foul on Towns, which would have given New York the ball with the lead with just over 29 seconds to go.
Per the NBA, Towns held Randle's arm on the drive to the basket, impeding Randle's ability to defend the drive.
With the Timberwolves now leading by one with 24 seconds left, the Knicks were on the cusp of a crucial steal after pressuring D'Angelo Russell off an inbounds pass. Russell's pass was tipped in the air by RJ Barrett, but Russell came back down with the ball and New York was forced to intentionally foul. But the NBA said in its report that Russell shoved Barrett to ensure he came down with the loose ball, and it should have been Knicks ball.
The third incorrect call came earlier in the fourth, when Evan Fournier was triple-teamed and eventually turned it over with New York leading by two with just under two minutes to go, but the report said the correct call would have been a foul on Towns, who made contact with Fournier's arm.
Of course, even with the missed calls down the stretch, the Knicks were in position to win the game and struggled badly on offense in the closing minutes, and finished the night with 18 turnovers.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
