Report: NBA reminds coaches to stay off court during games

A missed call may have cost the New York Knicks a game this week, and the NBA is trying to make sure the same mistake doesn't happen again.

The league sent out a memo to every team to remind them coaches are prohibited from stepping on the court during play, and failure to comply will result in a fine, sources told ESPN's Zach Lowe.

According to NBA rules, a coach should be hit with a technical foul for entering the court without a referee's permission.

However, Washington Wizards assistant coach Sidney Lowe wasn't penalized for venturing onto the court late during Thursday's game at MSG, potentially affecting the outcome of the contest.

Courtney Lee said postgame that the opposing coach distracted him, causing him to pass up an open three during New York's final possession before the club fell 113-110.

The NBA ruled in Friday's last-two-minute report that Lowe should've been whistled for a tech, and later fined the 57-year-old and the Wizards for the transgression.

While those fines did little to appease the Knicks, who still took the loss, at least the incident served as a lesson to the rest of the league.