The NBA acknowledged a missed foul call during Game 3 of the NBA Finals after Victor Wembanyama shoved Jalen Brunson to the floor. Spurs defeated the Knicks on Monday, but officiating drew attention afterward. The league is reviewing whether to upgrade the play to a flagrant foul.
NBA Senior Vice President Monty McCutchen said Tuesday that officials missed a foul on the play. 'Well, most certainly I think we can all agree that a foul was missed on that play,' he said on ESPN's NBA Today. The incident occurred with about five minutes left in the first quarter. Knicks coach Mike Brown expressed frustration over free-throw attempts in the second half. The Spurs took 24 while the Knicks had eight. 'I never thought I would be in the NBA Finals and see a team get 24 free throw attempts in the second half to another team's eight,' Brown said. Brunson declined to comment further on the shove. 'Whatever you saw is what you saw,' he said. The NBA is considering whether the play warrants a flagrant foul designation, which could affect Wembanyama's status for the remainder of the series. Wembanyama already has two flagrant foul points from earlier in the postseason. An upgrade here would leave him one point away from an automatic one-game suspension.
