NBA denies Knicks' protest of loss to Rockets

The NBA denied the New York Knicks' protest of their 105-103 loss to the Houston Rockets on Feb. 12, saying Wednesday that they were unable to "demonstrate a misapplication of the playing rules."

Under the standard for NBA game protests, the Knicks were required to demonstrate that the official rules were misused, as opposed to an error in judgment by referees.

The Knicks protested the result of the game due to a shooting foul called on guard Jalen Brunson, who made contact with Rockets guard Aaron Holiday on a last-second shot attempt.

Crew chief Ed Malloy admitted postgame that the foul called on Brunson was incorrect and should not have resulted in Houston's game-winning free throws.

"After seeing it during postgame review, the offensive player was able to return to a normal playing position on the floor," Malloy said. "The contact which occurred after the release of the ball, therefore, is incidental and marginal to the shot attempt and should not have been called."

The Knicks had 48 hours following the end of the game to file a protest.

New York found itself on the positive side of a no-call earlier this week, as referees admitted missing a loose ball foul on Knicks wing Donte DiVincenzo, committed against Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson during Monday's 113-111 win. The foul would have stopped play, negating Josh Hart's winning and-1 layup.