Referees admitted to mistakenly calling a kicked ball violation late in the Indiana Pacers’ defeat to the New York Knicks on Monday night. The error occurred with 52 seconds left in the game when a pass by Jalen Brunson was deflected by Aaron Nesmith. Referee Sean Wright ruled it as a kicked ball, giving possession to the Knicks. However, postgame review revealed that the ball had actually hit the defender’s hand, making it a legal play.
The Pacers, unable to challenge the call due to NBA rules, subsequently lost possession. This pivotal moment allowed the Knicks to take the lead and eventually secure a 121-117 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Crew chief Zach Zarba confirmed the officiating error, stating that the call was incorrect as the ball had hit the defender’s hand rather than being kicked. He clarified that challenges in NBA games are restricted to fouls, goaltending, and out-of-bounds calls, preventing the Pacers from contesting the ruling.
Despite the setback, the Pacers challenged another call later in the game when Myles Turner was charged with an offensive foul for a screen that knocked down Donte DiVincenzo. The call stood upon review, further frustrating the Pacers.
Myles Turner expressed disappointment with the officiating but emphasized the need for his team to take accountability. He highlighted the importance of learning from the loss and moving forward, acknowledging that avoiding late-game controversies requires maintaining a substantial lead.
“I think the two controversial calls, we had to use our challenge on one call (on) Tyrese, then the kicked ball on Aaron Nesmith that was not a kickball. You can clearly see that on the replays,” Turner added. “So, it’s unfortunate but we can’t put ourselves in that position.”
Asked about Turner’s foul, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, “I don’t want to talk about the officiating. We’re not expecting to get calls in here. It would be nice if they laid off that one, but they didn’t. So that’s just the way it goes. I mean, we challenged it, they reviewed it, they had a bunch of people in New Jersey that agreed with ’em.”
Carlisle reviewed the game’s final minutes but remained uncertain about the kicked ball call. But Nesmith had told him the ball hit his hand, not his foot.
Asked how the final 52 seconds might have been different if it was officiated correctly in the moment, McConnell said he wasn’t sure, then repeated himself: “There were plays that we could have made where it doesn’t even come down to that. So, you know, unfortunate, but we gotta move on and fix things that we didn’t do well.”
Despite the heartbreaking loss, Carlisle views it as a valuable learning opportunity.
“This is great experience for our guys,” he said. “It comes at a cost. It’s no fun. But we’re gonna have to learn some things for Game 2.”
