Tom Thibodeau disagreeing with the referees while playing the Houston Rockets is nothing new. Last season, the Knicks ended up protesting a loss they suffered in Houston because of a blown call suggesting Jalen Brunson fouled Aaron Holiday in the final seconds of the game, resulting in the Rockets making game-winning free throws. The team did not win this protest, adding tension to this matchup between the two teams on Monday.
With both teams in search of their fourth win of the 2024-25 season, the Knicks and Rockets found themselves in a one-possession game with under three minutes remaining. The Knicks, who trailed by as many as 15 points at one time in the game, were on the cusp of coming back on the road, yet it was the Rockets who held on to win 109-97. Once again, Thibodeau thinks his team wasn't given a favorable whistle down the stretch, as the Knicks head coach wasn't happy over one particular controversial call made in the final minutes of Monday's matchup on the road.
After Mikal Bridges knocked down a three-point jumper with 3:04 remaining in the game to cut Houston's lead to only three points, both teams ended up taking timeouts. When play resumed, Rockets' guard Jalen Green missed a three-point attempt, leading to Alperen Sengun and Josh Hart attempting to grab the rebound. It appeared as if Hart was the quickest to the ball, but he was promptly called for a loose ball foul on a 50-50 ball that anyone could have grabbed.
Thibodeau, who was unhappy with the call, immediately pointed this play out as a main reason for losing in his postgame comments.
“I thought the big play was Josh’s foul. It looked like a clean steal to me. Sometimes, it goes your way; sometimes, it doesn’t,” Thibodeau stated, via the New York Post. “I thought Josh beat him to the ball. It just didn’t go our way, I guess.”
Tom Thibodeau unhappy with ending to Rockets game
Interestingly enough, Thibodeau and the Knicks still had a challenge remaining at the time of this call during the game, yet they chose not to use it. This was not addressed in Thibodeau's postgame remarks. In the end, the Rockets were not rewarded with any free throws, and they ended up missing the shot on their next possession, so as many tend to say, “Ball don't lie.”
It is hard to say that this game in which the Rockets won by 12 points on Monday night was comparable to what transpired last season with the Knicks losing on a blown call by the officials. Thibodeau can be frustrated with the loss, but at the end of the day, this one play held zero impact on the game as a whole, especially since Houston wasn't rewarded any points.
Also, the Rockets ended up shooting fewer free throws in the game than the Knicks and were called for more fouls. The Knicks' demise on the road was a direct result of their inability to make shots late in the fourth quarter.
“I mean at the end of the day refs are going to make mistakes,” Hart told reporters after the game. “We didn’t agree with a lot of the calls that they had. There was some that they missed, we let that dictate our energy level. We’ve got to give them credit, the coach [Houston’s Ime Udoka], he’s obviously been in winning situations. He always has a tough, physical, hard-playing team. That’s what they did.”
The Knicks now find themselves with a 3-3 record after six games. Their next chance to pick up a win will be on Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks.
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