Sources: New York Knicks protest after foul call

The New York Knicks have filed a protest with the NBA disputing the 105-103 loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday night, sources told ESPN.

The Knicks decided to file a report Tuesday evening, highlighting the NBA's last-minute report and admissions by game crew chief Ed Malloy that a foul call by Knicks guard Jalen Brunson on Houston's Aaron Holiday at the last second was called incorrectly, sources said.

Holiday made two free throws with less than a second left in the game, and intentionally missed a third to end the clock in a 105-103 victory. The Knicks and Rockets are not scheduled to play again this season, but the hope for the protest is to either complete a tied game heading into overtime, or somehow handle the Knicks without losing.

However, the protest must prove “misapplication” of the rule, not just a missed call. The Knicks – who have lost three straight games – have been hit hard by injuries and will welcome the start of the All-Star break later this week. The Knicks are in fourth place, 33-21, in the Eastern Conference.

Only six protests have been upheld in the league's history. The NBA has not often supported protests in its history — only six times, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

The last time was on December 19, 2007, when Shaquille O'Neal, the Miami Heat midfielder, was incorrectly ruled to have committed six fouls while committing only five. The game resumed on March 8, 2008, but neither team scored in the 51.9 seconds that were restarted in overtime and the Hawks won 114-111. Before the game resumed, O'Neal was traded to the Phoenix Suns.