Mike Brown: SGA effectively persuades officials that he is being fouled

NEW YORK — New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown has joined the increasing number of voices criticizing the officiating of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Brown received his first technical foul as the Knicks’ coach late in the first quarter on Wednesday night, feeling that officials overlooked what should have been Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s third foul after he collided with Jalen Brunson. Brunson fell as Gilgeous-Alexander regained his balance for a layup with 1:57 remaining in the opening period.

A third foul on Gilgeous-Alexander might have altered the course of a tightly contested game, which the Thunder ultimately won 103-100 after the Knicks failed to convert two potential game-tying 3-pointers in the last 6 seconds.

Brown remained unsettled by the incident during his postgame press conference.

“SGA is a difficult matchup, and he excels at persuading the officials — likely better than anyone else in the league — that he is being fouled,” Brown remarked.

Gilgeous-Alexander went to the free-throw line a game-high seven times, finishing with 26 points and 8 assists in 35 minutes. His 3-pointer with 1:18 remaining provided the Thunder with a 103-96 advantage.

The reigning league MVP ranks second to the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic in free throw attempts per game at 9.2 and leads the NBA in free throws made per game for the third consecutive season.

Regarding the disputed play, Brown stated: “Jalen was there, and he ran them over. It was similar to the call they made on OG [Anunoby]. I don’t know, I can’t comprehend why that was not called.”

“That should’ve been his third (foul), the basket shouldn’t have counted, and we should’ve had the ball going the other way,” Brown added. “Jalen is standing there, putting his body on the line, and our players are fighting hard to win the game, and it just didn’t sit well with me.”

Brown did not attribute the no-call as the reason the Knicks were unable to secure their fourth consecutive victory.

Brunson, who drew three offensive fouls on the Thunder, expressed his appreciation for Brown’s intensity on the sidelines.

“I’m going to support him every single night. He supports us,” Brunson said. “No matter what he does or the technicals he receives, I’m going to have his back.”

Brunson had a bruise under his right eye, and when questioned about it, he smiled and remarked, “it was probably a no-call.”