NBA Ref Admits 'Foul Should Have Been Called' on Knicks During Tim Hardaway Jr.'s Shot

After the New York Knicks escaped with a 94-93 victory over the Detroit Pistons in Sunday's Game 4 of their first-round playoff series, the officials admitted that a blunder was made in the closing moments of the game.

Referee David Guthrie told pool reporter Coty Davis of the Detroit News that "a foul should have been called" on Knicks forward Josh Hart for the contact he made with Pistons guard Tim Hardaway Jr. when he attempted a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

The Knicks overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter and took a one-point lead after a deep three-pointer by star center Karl-Anthony Towns with 47 seconds left. The Pistons had a couple of chances to take back the lead, but star guard Cade Cunningham lost the ball out of bounds on the ensuing possession and then missed a jumper with 7.1 seconds remaining on the clock.

Fortune appeared to be in Detroit's favor when the ball kicked out to the corner and landed in Hardaway's hands, but he was bumped by Hart as he went up for a three-pointer, causing the shot to fall well short of the basket. Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff immediately ran onto the court to inform the referees of the missed call, but there was nothing he could do to change the result of the game.

Guthrie said it appeared Hart "made a legal defensive play" during live action, but a post-game replay showed that he made "body contact that is more than marginal."

The admission likely will do little to satisfy the Pistons, who are now on the brink of elimination after falling into a 3-1 hole with the series heading back to New York for Game 5 on Tuesday.

Detroit already scored an upset win at Madison Square Garden in Game 2, and it can be expected that the team will be extra motivated to keep its season alive after Sunday's controversial ending.