The New York Knicks barely escaped Portland with a 114-113 overtime win against the Trail Blazers on March 13, but that’s not what had fans talking. Sure, it was a thriller, but the real controversy? Karl Anthony Towns throwing an elbow that knocked Jabari Walker out of the game—and somehow, the refs just let it slide.

Walker was defending Towns on a drive when—boom—he took a full-force elbow to the face. He dropped immediately, clearly shaken, and had to leave the game to be checked for a concussion. And yet, no foul. No review. Nothing. Just play on like it never happened.

It was the kind of moment that makes you question what exactly the refs were watching. This wasn’t some minor collision—it was a dangerous hit that sent a guy straight to the locker room. And in a league that supposedly prioritizes player safety, especially when it comes to head injuries, the lack of a whistle was flat-out ridiculous.

In basketball, sure, there’s always going to be contact when guys attack the rim. Sometimes it’s incidental, sometimes it’s a charge, sometimes it’s an offensive foul. But in a case like this? Where a player gets elbowed in the face and has to leave the game? That has to, at the very least, be reviewed.

And that’s where the frustration really sets in. The NBA has spent years trying to clean up these kinds of plays, cracking down on unnatural movements and unnecessary contact. Yet, somehow, Towns got away with this.

A perfect example of how inconsistent officiating has become? Go back to November 15, 2024. Jalen Brunson pulls up for a sudden stop near the free-throw line against Brooklyn, and Jalen Wilson runs into him from behind. The refs immediately call a defensive foul.

Was it a legitimate basketball move? Or was Brunson just baiting the call? That was the debate. The league has been trying to eliminate these kinds of plays since 2020, trying to stop guys from drawing fouls in unnatural ways.

And yet, here we are. Towns throws an elbow, Walker gets hurt, and the refs just… let it go. If the NBA is really about protecting players, how do you justify that?

Mikal Bridges’ Minutes Controversy Takes Over Knicks’ World

While Towns got away with his elbow, another situation was brewing in the Knicks’ locker room—Mikal Bridges and Tom Thibodeau going back and forth over playing time.

Bridges, who leads the league in minutes, had apparently asked Thibs before the game to dial back his workload a bit, let the bench get some more run. He felt the Knicks had enough depth to manage a lighter rotation and that his body would benefit from it in the long run.

But then, in classic Thibodeau fashion, he straight-up denied the whole thing ever happened. “We never had a conversation about it,” Thibs told reporters when asked about Bridges’ request.

And yet… Bridges still played 41 minutes against Portland, dropping 33 points in a monster performance. Clearly, the workload isn’t slowing him down yet—but how much longer can he keep this up?

This isn’t new territory for Thibodeau. The guy has a long history of running his best players into the ground. Just ask former Knicks forward Channing Frye, who recently called out Thibs for overworking guys and putting them at risk for injuries.

With the playoffs around the corner, this could become a much bigger issue. Bridges might be built for the grind, but at what point does it start catching up to him?

Meanwhile, Walker’s status remains up in the air. If his concussion tests come back positive, he could be out for multiple games. And as for Karl Anthony Towns? The league could still step in, issue a fine, maybe even a suspension. But considering the refs let it slide in real-time, don’t hold your breath.

As for Bridges and Thibodeau, this conversation about minutes isn’t going away anytime soon. The Knicks are rolling, but how long can they keep this pace?

At the end of the day, the Knicks got the win, moving to 41-23 and locking in their playoff position. The Blazers? They dropped to 28-39, stuck in a season that just won’t turn around.

But what’s everyone actually going to remember from this game? Karl Anthony Towns getting away with an elbow that should have been called—and the NBA’s officiating taking yet another major credibility hit.