NBA’s L2M report admits refs missing foul calls on Tyrese Maxey

The second game between the Philadelphia 76ers and NY Knicks in the playoff series raised many eyebrows because of controversial officiating in the final minutes. The NBA’s ‘Last 2 Minutes’ report finally cleared the smoke on Tuesday by confirming that the game officials made incorrect non-calls that changed the result of the game.

With under 30 seconds remaining in Monday night’s game, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey was fouled twice by Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. The 23-year-old was about to receive a pass from teammate Kyle Lowry when Brunson obstructed him by pulling his jersey. The officials did not call for a personal foul here.

Seconds later Hart used his lower body to make contact with Maxey and gained advantage as he fell on the floor. As per the reports, both should have been fouls which the referee didn’t call. Philly’s HC Nick Nurse asked for two timeouts which were also ignored by the officials.

Nurse asked for the first time-out before Tyrese Maxey’s foul which should have been given but the second one during Hart’s act was a valid non-call, as per the reports.

The Sixers had a two-point lead, however, the non-calls turned the tables as Knicks’ Donte DiVincenzo took advantage of the chaos and shot a 3-pointer which made the scores 102-101 with the New Yorkers in the lead.

Two other calls were also missed in the game. At the last minute, Knicks’ OG Anunoby made a 3-second violation whereas the Sixers’ star Joel Embiid hit DiVincenzo on the head. The Sixers lost the battle by 101-104 after putting up a great fight in front of the Madison Square Garden crowd. Despite all the hustle and bustle surrounding the game, Maxey now has something to cheer about.

Tyrese Maxey wins Most Improved Player award

Tyrese Maxey won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award for his remarkable performance in the 2023-2024 season. Chicago Bulls’ Coby White was the only player whose votes came closer to his.

Maxey in his fourth season at the franchise stepped up in the absence of Joel Embiid and took responsibility for the offense. He averaged 25.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and a steal per game in the regular campaign. Though many predicted this coming, the guard duly passed the weight of expectations.

Embiid has still shown confidence on his side even after losing 2-0 in the series and will lead the Sixers to Game 3 on Wednesday where Maxey’s scoring prowess will be much in demand.