76ers Coach Nick Nurse, right, talks to Tyrese Maxey, center, and Joel Embiid, left, during Philadelphia’s 104-101 loss to the Knicks in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series on Monday in New York. Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey was fouled twice before his turnover that led to the go-ahead 3-pointer by Donte DiVincenzo in the New York Knicks’ victory over the 76ers in Game 2, the NBA determined Tuesday.
In its Last 2 Minutes report, the league also said that 76ers Coach Nick Nurse twice attempted to call timeouts that were “neither recognized nor granted by the officials” during the possession.
The furious 76ers planned to file a grievance regarding the officiating after falling into a 2-0 hole in the series following the Knicks’ 104-101 victory on Monday night.
The 76ers led by five points before Jalen Brunson’s 3-pointer with 27 seconds remaining. The 76ers attempted to inbound the ball to Maxey, who was swarmed by both Brunson and Josh Hart. Maxey fell to the court and Hart grabbed the ball.
But the NBA said Brunson first grabbed Maxey’s jersey, preventing the All-Star guard from catching the pass cleanly. The league ruled that Hart then made lower body contact that caused Maxey to fall.
Both plays were indicated as incorrect non-calls.
The league determined that Hart took the ball away from Maxey with a clean steal.
Nurse attempted to call timeout before the ball was passed in, then again after Maxey had fallen, which may have been too late.
“The timeout request is simultaneous to Hart making contact with the ball and (Philadelphia) not having possession,” the report said.
Sixers center Joel Embiid used an expletive after the game in saying the officiating had been unacceptable for missing the attempted timeout and the foul.
NUGGETS: The NBA and Denver police are looking into an incident in which a man reported to be one of the brothers of Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was seen punching a fan after the team’s buzzer-beating 101-99 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA playoffs.
In videos shared by TMZ and other outlets, the man is seen climbing over seats to confront another person at Ball Arena, who he then punches in the face. TMZ said the altercation happened on Monday night just after the Nuggets completed their comeback from a 20-point deficit to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round series.
An NBA spokesman said Tuesday that the league is looking into the matter.
The Denver police media relations unit said in an email sent to The Associated Press that it is investigating the incident, but said it was not reported to the Denver police at the arena or after the game.
LAKERS: LeBron James was seeing red after the Los Angeles Lakers watched a golden opportunity slip away.
His frustration wasn’t so much centered on blowing a 20-point lead. Or his late missed 3-pointer that rimmed out with the game tied. Or Jamal Murray’s fadeaway buzzer-beater that gave Denver a Game 2 victory.
James’ anger was more distant – the NBA’s replay center in Secaucus, New Jersey. At the heart of his wrath was a second-half foul of Michael Porter Jr. that was overturned with the league saying Porter had made only marginal contact on D’Angelo Russell.
“I don’t understand what’s going on in the replay center, to be honest,” said James, whose team heads back to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday facing a 2-0 deficit. “D-Lo clearly gets hit in the face on the drive. What the (expletive) do we have a replay center … it doesn’t make sense. It makes no sense. It bothers me.”
AWARDS: Tyrese Maxey was sixth in the Most Improved Player voting two years ago, a tribute to the jump he made between his first and second seasons in the NBA.
Voters thought the jump he made from his third year to his fourth was even more impressive.
Philadelphia’s All-Star guard was named the league’s most improved this season. Maxey’s scoring rose for the third consecutive year, and he finished the regular season averaging 25.9 points, 6.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game – all career bests.
It’s not uncommon for players to see their numbers soar when given a new role, but that wasn’t the case with Maxey. Consider: two years ago, he averaged 17.5 points, 4.3 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 0.7 steals in 35.3 minutes per game. This year, he topped all those numbers and averaged only 2.2 more minutes per contest.
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