What happened: Jalen Brunson knocked down a three-pointer while a defender closed out into the space where he came down, and the no-call immediately drew objections that it should have been ruled a flagrant. For a moment Brunson appeared shaken up in the landing area before staying upright and in the game. The sequence became the talking point of the run, with onlookers fixated on the contact rather than the made shot.
Why it matters: Landing-area contact is one of the league's clearest player-safety points of emphasis, so a swallowed whistle on a primary scorer instantly raised officiating questions. The stakes sharpened the reaction: this is the same Jalen Brunson who carried New York back to the Finals, and fans saw their offensive engine put at avoidable injury risk on a non-call.
What to watch: Watch for any league review of the sequence and whether Brunson shows lingering effects the rest of the way.