If there wasn’t enough sting already the 98-91 defeat of the Kings At the New York Knicks on Saturday at Golden 1 Center, an NBA omission regarding a missed call that hurt Sacramento added more salt to the wound.
The league released its Two Minute Report Sunday, revealing that referees in Saturday’s game between the Knicks and Kings missed a crucial foul on Domantas Sabonis in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
While battling on the block with New York winger OG Anunoby, Sabonis was called for a double dribble when he appeared to have been hit in the face.
The report says the contact with Sabonis’ face warranted a foul, although it was not called in real time during Sacramento’s loss on Saturday.
“Anunoby (NYK) hits the face of Sabonis (SAC), affecting his SQBR (speed, balance, quickness, pace) in the lane,” the Last Two Minute report states.
The mistake proved costly, as the incident occurred while the Kings were trailing 94-91, with the game within their reach. After the incorrect call, the Knicks scored on the ensuing possession to take a 96-91 lead with 37.1 seconds left, icing the game.
It was the kind of decision that could prove monumental, with the Kings (38-28) barely clinging to the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoffs, holding a tiebreaker against the Phoenix Suns (39-29). and Dallas Mavericks (39-29) due to one less loss than both teams.
