Monty rips refs over no-call in Pistons' loss to Knicks

Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams felt his squad was undone by a late no-call that preceded the New York Knicks' game-winning basket Monday.

"The absolute worst call of the season: no-call," he told reporters after the 113-111 loss. "Enough's enough. We've done it the right way. We've called the league. We've sent in clips. We're sick of hearing the same stuff over and over again. We had a chance to win the game, and the guy dove into (Ausar Thompson's) legs, and there was a no-call. That's an abomination.

"You cannot miss that in an NBA game, period. And I'm tired of talking about it. I'm tired of our guys asking me, 'What more can we do, coach?'"

Monday's contest came down to a frenetic play in which neither team seemed able to get the ball under control following a missed three by Jalen Brunson. However, in the ensuing mayhem, Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo appeared to take out Thompson immediately after turning the ball over, allowing Brunson to recover possession and set up Josh Hart's winning bucket with 2.1 seconds left, plus the foul.

Hart missed the ensuing free throw but returned to the line a second later and went 1-for-2 before securing an offensive rebound to ice the game.

Officiating crew chief James Williams admitted referees erred by not calling a foul on the play.

"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," Williams told Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press. "Therefore, a loose ball foul should have been whistled on New York's Donte DiVincenzo.

But that assessment came too late for Monty Williams. The Pistons coach didn't take questions from reporters postgame and called the outcome "Exhibit A to what we've been dealing with all season long."

DiVincenzo, meanwhile, suggested the Knicks caught a break with the ending.

"You can go back the whole game and nitpick calls," he told The Athletic's Fred Katz. "Do I think we dodged a bullet overall? Yes. I have great respect for Monty and everybody over there. Like I said, we dodged a bullet with the win."