Referees fess up to blunder in hotly debated Ausar Thompson foul against Knicks

The ending to the Detroit Pistons‘ Monday night clash against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden was hectic. Towards the end, it seemed as though the Pistons were going to hold on for the win after they put up a resolute defensive stand, forcing Jalen Brunson to a missed three. But what ensued after that was absolute chaos; Ausar Thompson looked like he had the game-sealing steal secured, but Donte DiVincenzo bumped into him without being called for a foul.

DiVincenzo’s steal ended up leading to Josh Hart’s go-ahead and-one layup, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat for the Knicks. However, it certainly looked like DiVincenzo bundled over the Pistons rookie, causing him to fall over and cough the ball up. In fact, the referees, who missed the call in real time, admitted that they should have called a loose ball foul on the Knicks guard, which could have put the game in secure hands for the Pistons.

“Upon postgame review, we determined that Thompson gets to the ball first, and then was deprived of the opportunity to gain possession of the ball. Therefore, a loose ball foul should have been whistled on New York’s Donte DiVincenzo,” crew chief James Williams said in his Pool Report, via Ian Begley of SNY.

If a ball is loose, then both Donte DiVincenzo and Ausar Thompson have free rein to go after the basketball. Alas, the referees determined that it was the Pistons rookie who secured the ball first, which means that a collision from the Knicks guard constituted illegal contact.

“We determined that his left hand gets to the ball prior to DiVincenzo’s hand getting to it,” Williams added.

For a Pistons team that has found it difficult to get wins this season, this is a huge gut punch. In real time, it definitely looked like there was plenty of contact from Donte DiVincenzo, although for Knicks fans, they will not mind getting a win in this fashion. After all, the Knicks were on the losing end of some flimsy officiating back on February 12, when they lost to the Houston Rockets in a heartbreaker.