The New York Knicks rolled into the American Airlines Center in Dallas to face the Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Cooper Flagg-less Mavericks looking to take their first road game victory of the season. Although they managed to barely escape a scorching hot Mavs team, fans weren’t too happy at how the Knicks won, especially how the referees made a controversial call at the end of regulation, propping up a huge online debacle.
Knicks Got Away with an Upset Loss, but At a Huge Cost
The Knicks were one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA last season, but against the Mavericks on Thursday, that definitely wasn’t the case. The supposedly greatest shooting big man of this generation, Karl-Anthony Towns, went 1-for-6 from downtown, and as a team, the New York Knicks went ice cold from three-point land making only 12 of their 42 attempts (28.6%).
Despite that, the game was nothing like what viewers expected. They still kept it close and even went back-and-forth against a shorthanded Dallas team who are missing their top three players. However, the Mavs weren’t throwing the towel just yet. With just 3.8 seconds left in regulation, the Mavs were only down by two, 113-111, and had enough time to tie the game or win at home with a three. Brandon Williams freed himself momentarily and spurted coast-to-coast towards the basket for a heavily contested game-tying layup, however, the crowd and the bench were stunned after hearing a call from the sidelines—the basket didn’t count after the referees called an OFFENSIVE FOUL on Williams.
Had it counted, the shot would have pushed the game to overtime and fans might have seen a different result. The New York Knicks (9-5), eventually held on to that 113-111 victory, and the narrative would have been that the big three of Jalen Brunson (28 points), Mikal Bridges (16 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds), and Karl-Anthony Towns (18-point, 14-rebound double-double) delivered on the road, but the reality, it was such an embarrassing win.
Fans Blast the Referees in Controversial Knicks-Mavs Ending
It was only justifiable how fans felt disappointed and disgusted at the same time. Some fans even believe the referees were desperately pushing the Knicks to win despite their poor shooting night. A lot of pundits flocked on social media while blasting the game officials and that the offensive foul on Williams.
Dallas (4-12) is struggling this season without their stars. Although tanking would give them wonderful returns in the future, many fans were still heartbroken by the Knicks-Mavericks ending, to say the least.
NBA Says Officials Had the Correct Call
Due to the backlash, the league released a statement following the alleged mis-call on the Knicks-Mavericks game on November 20, 2025. According to their report, the NBA stood firm that the referees made the right call. Regardless, it was a devastating night for Dallas, but a great one for the Big Apple.
