Houston- The Rockets stole a win following a disputed call by the officials.

Aaron Holiday scored 18 points, including two crucial free throws following a contentious foul call on Jalen Brunson while attempting a 3-point shot, propelling the Rockets to a 105-103 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday night.

Houston held a four-point lead with less than a minute remaining, but Brunson managed to score the next four points, culminating in a jump shot with 8.1 seconds on the clock, leveling the score at 103.

Then New York’s Precious Achiuwa blocked a close-range shot by Jalen Green. Holiday seized the rebound beyond the 3-point line and attempted a shot as Brunson rushed to contest him, resulting in a foul call.

Crew chief Ed Malloy said that in live action the referees believed “the lower body contact was illegal contact.” Following a replay review, opinions changed, but too late for the Knicks.

“After seeing it during postgame review, the offensive player was able to return to a normal playing position on the floor,” Malloy said. “The contact which occurred after the release of the ball therefore is incidental and marginal to the shot attempt and should not have been called.”

Shortly after that was the post-game press conference.

“The thing with the officials — this is the way I feel about that, in general,” Thibodeau added. “I don’t really care how tight the game is called. You can call it tight. You can call it loose. We like consistency to be the same. And they have a job. They have to control and manage the game. That’s their No. 1 responsibility. So, they have to use their judgment, and I have respect for that. Didn’t go our way tonight.”

Brunson contributed 27 points, while Donte DiVincenzo added 23 as the Knicks suffered their third consecutive loss.

Heading into the fourth quarter with a three-point lead, the Rockets witnessed Holiday spearheading an 11-5 surge, extending their advantage to 85-76 with approximately nine minutes remaining. Holiday ignited the quarter with a dunk, followed by a successful 3-pointer, a jump shot, an assist to Smith for a dunk, and capped off his impressive performance with a layup.

Houston’s lead extended to 11 points with a 3-pointer by Brooks, but the Knicks responded with a nine-point streak, including seven points from Bojan Bogdanovic, reducing the deficit to 91-89 with 5½ minutes left.

Despite a 3-pointer by Brooks widening the gap to five, Josh Hart’s quick response with a three brought the Knicks within 98-96.

Brooks nailed another crucial 3-pointer, but Alec Burks promptly answered with a trey for New York, once again cutting the deficit to two points with less than two minutes remaining.

Houston had to play without Fred VanVleet, who missed his fourth consecutive game due to a strained left adductor, and rookie Cam Whitmore, sidelined for a second game due to a sprained right ankle.

Although the Rockets held a 14-point lead at halftime, the Knicks rallied with a 16-4 run at the beginning of the second half, closing the gap to 61-59 with around 7½ minutes left in the third quarter. Brunson accounted for the first four points during this run, while Hart contributed two 3-pointers to help New York trim the deficit.

Up next the fourth place New York Knicks travel to Orlando on Wednesday, looking to snap the losing streak against the Magic.

For the latest NBA and New York Knicks news, follow @vinquezada1 on X.

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by Vincent Quezada

Photos courtesy of AP/ Michael Wyke

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