Knicks head coach Mike Brown admitted that his team did not perform at their best during Friday night’s 116-107 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers, where they committed 18 turnovers. However, he also expressed dissatisfaction with the officiating.
Brown raised concerns about missed calls, particularly in relation to OG Anunoby. He emphasized that Anunoby, standing 6-foot-7 and weighing 240 pounds, plays differently from smaller players when driving to the basket. Brown noted the challenge referees face in distinguishing fouls, especially since quicker players tend to keep their heads down and draw fouls by falling or flopping after contact, whereas Anunoby attacks the rim aggressively but doesn’t get the same calls.
Anunoby had a tough game, shooting just 1-of-9 and scoring only two points in 32 minutes, with a field goal percentage of 46.5 percent—well below his season average of 15.4 points per game. His plus-minus was -11. Despite this, Brown supported Anunoby, believing he deserved more foul calls due to his aggressive play.
Brown said, “I thought his aggressiveness was there. He just couldn’t get to the free throw line. He had some good looks from the three-point line, but it slipped away from him. I don’t know what more he can do to get calls when driving since he’s bigger than many guards who get fouls.”
Besides the lack of fouls, Anunoby also struggled with his shooting—0-of-4 from three-point range, far below his usual 40 percent accuracy. The Knicks as a whole managed just 25 percent from beyond the arc. Mikal Bridges was the only player to make multiple three-pointers, hitting three in seven attempts.
When shots aren’t falling, Anunoby tried to compensate by driving to the basket and seeking contact to get to the free-throw line, utilizing his career free-throw shooting percentage of 76.1 percent. But without foul calls on those drives, there’s little he could do.
Brown noted, “I thought OG had some great looks from three and was aggressive on drives, but the calls just didn’t come.” The Sixers were called for 24 personal fouls compared to 21 for the Knicks, but only Jalen Brunson, Karl Anthony Towns, and Mitchell Robinson made free throws for New York.
Fan Take: This highlights the ongoing debate around officiating consistency and how it impacts key players differently, which is crucial for basketball fans who seek fairness and the integrity of the game. Understanding how players like Anunoby struggle to get calls could influence how offenses adapt, potentially changing playing styles league-wide.
