HOUSTON — Jalen Brunson went from hero to loser in a controversial game that killed the Knicks.
Seconds after making a clutch hit to tie the game at 1-1 on Monday at Toyota Center, Brunson hit Houston’s Aaron Holiday’s prayer 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds left in a 105-103 loss to the Rockets. He was whistled for a foul on the shot.
Replays revealed it was a bad call that allowed the Rockets to make three foul shots in a tied game.
Holiday buried two and the Rockets stole one.
The Knicks (33-21) made a dramatic comeback, getting to that point in the game with Brunson’s timely step-back over Dillon Brooks and strong defense from Precious Achiuwa.
However, the Knicks struggled offensively all night, and there was no room for errors or errors from the referees.
They are currently on a three-game losing streak heading into their Valentine’s Day matchup in Orlando, followed by the long-awaited All-Star break.
Brunson struggled all night, especially in a disastrous first half, but still finished with 27 points on 10-of-25 shooting and nine assists.
Donte DiVincenzo was another mainstay of the attack, but he left the game with about five minutes remaining due to a hamstring strain.
He was the last in the Knicks’ long infirmary line after playing 41 of his 43 available minutes.
He finished with 23 points.
The game was in favor of the Rockets at the start of the fourth quarter, with the home team going on an 18-7 run to take an 11-point advantage.
The Knicks scored gradually, eventually tying the score on Brunson’s jumper.
The Rockets (23-29) played without point guard Fred VanVleet, snapping a four-game losing streak.
The Knicks are still without key starters and have fallen to 22-2 on the season against a team that entered Monday with a losing record.
The first half was terrible for Brunson, with seven points on just 2-of-11 shooting and three turnovers.
But he was relentless.
He continued to attack, unfazed by blunders and missed shots.
And in the end, the point guard gave the Knicks a chance to win, but it was stripped away by the referees.
