The Knicks were trailing by seven points with 70 seconds to play when Josh Hart was slapped with an automatic ejection for his second technical foul of the game for his interactions with the referees.
Coach Tom Thibodeau noted after the Knicks’ 120-111 loss to the Pistons that while Hart “plays on emotion, which is great,” before adding that “there’s a fine line” and we “just can’t have that in the fourth quarter.”
Hart argued afterward that he “didn’t curse” and didn’t believe he deserved his first technical in the first half, and received the second one because he questioned why a Pistons player didn’t receive one after arguing with the officials late in the game.
“I didn’t understand it,” Hart said. “I think I was 10 feet away from the ref going into the huddle. I didn’t curse or speak disrespectfully to the ref. When I asked him why he said, ‘That’s not how we talk to each other.’
“So I left it there, but I didn’t understand how at the end of the game, we’re going on a run, and another player walks up to a ref and he cursed. I just didn’t understand it.”
With Karl-Anthony Towns sidelined with what the Knicks termed patellar tendinopathy of his right knee, Jericho Sims made his second start of the season in his place.
But Sims only played six minutes, all in the first half, with Precious Achiuwa grabbing 10 rebounds in 26 minutes in his second appearance of the season.
Rookie Ariel Hukporti also scored nine points in 15 minutes, including two alley-oop dunks from Jalen Brunson.
“We were just searching. We wanted energy and you have to hustle,” Thibodeau said. “Precious has been out a long time, so there’s a lot of rust. But I liked his reaction to the ball, he was the one guy that would get to the ball. But his timing’s not quite there yet, but each day, it’ll get better. So he gave us some good energy.”
Reserve guard Cam Payne also missed his second straight game with a left-elbow injury.