PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia's Tyrese Maxey was fouled twice before his turnover that led to the go-ahead 3-pointer by Donte DiVincenzo in the New York Knicks' victory over the 76ers in Game 2, the NBA determined Tuesday.
In its Last 2 Minutes report, the league also said that 76ers coach Nick Nurse twice attempted to call timeouts that were “neither recognized nor granted by the officials” during the possession.
The furious 76ers planned to file a grievance regarding the officiating after falling into a 2-0 hole in the series following the Knicks' 104-101 victory on Monday night.
The 76ers led by five points before Jalen Brunson's 3-pointer with 27 seconds remaining. The 76ers attempted to inbound the ball to Maxey, who was swarmed by both Brunson and Josh Hart. Maxey fell to the court and Hart grabbed the ball.
But the NBA said Brunson first grabbed Maxey's jersey, preventing the All-Star guard from catching the pass cleanly. The league ruled that Hart then made lower body contact that caused Maxey to fall.
Both plays were indicated as incorrect non-calls.
The league determined that Hart took the ball away from Maxey with a clean steal.
Nurse attempted to call timeout before the ball was passed in, then again after Maxey had fallen, which may have been too late.
“The timeout request is simultaneous to Hart making contact with the ball and (Philadelphia) not having possession,” the report said.
Sixers center Joel Embiid used an expletive after the game in saying the officiating had been unacceptable for missing the attempted timeout and the foul.