The Indiana Pacers squandered a lead in the closing minutes in a Game 1 121-117 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday night, but they won't be happy with some of the late officiating.

Aaron Nesmith was called for a kicked ball with 52 seconds remaining and the score tied at 115. Donte DiVincenzo hit a go-ahead 3-pointer on the ensuing possession.

Game referee Zach Zarba said postgame that after reviewing the play, Nesmith hit the ball with his hand, which is legal. However, he said the kicked ball call cannot be challenged or reviewed.

Pacers score: Jalen Brunson scores 43 points as Knicks overwhelm Pacers down the stretch

After the Pacers forced a Knicks turnover with 18.1 seconds to go, Tyrese Haliburton brought the ball up the court and Myles Turner set a pick. Turner was called for an illegal screen, and a Pacers challenge was unsuccessful.

TNT color analyst Stan Van Gundy offered this observation of the call: "You never see that call at this point in the game. I mean never. That is a great acting job. Lot of great actors in New York City, see them all the time on Broadway."

"I don't want to talk about the officiating," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said postgame. "We're not expecting to get calls in here. It would be nice if they laid off that one, but they didn't."

Twitter reaction to late calls in Pacers vs. Knicks game

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers lose Game 1 to Knicks after two questionable calls by refs