NBA Confirms Final Foul Call in Warriors’ Loss to Rockets Was Correct
Steve Kerr expressed outrage over a controversial foul call that decided the game, but the NBA upheld the decision as accurate.
Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Steve Kerr, Jalen Green, NBA
Houston: So, the other night, the Warriors lost a nail-biter to the Rockets, right? It was a close game, and it all came down to a foul call in the last few seconds. Steve Kerr, the Warriors’ coach, was absolutely livid about it.
With just 3.5 seconds left, the Warriors were ahead by one point. Stephen Curry missed a three-pointer, and in the scramble for the rebound, Gary Payton II got the ball. He tried to pass it to Jonathan Kuminga, but Jalen Green from the Rockets dove in for the loose ball. That’s when Kuminga got called for a foul.
Since the Rockets were in the bonus, Green got two free throws and nailed them both, flipping the score to 91-90 in favor of Houston. Talk about a heartbreaker for the Warriors!
Kerr was fuming after the game. He said he couldn’t believe a call like that was made in such a crucial moment. He even mentioned that he’d only seen something like that in college, ages ago. He felt like the game was taken from them by a call that even a rookie ref wouldn’t make.
But the NBA stood by the officials. Crew chief Bill Kennedy explained that there was contact with Kuminga’s shoulder and neck area, which justified the foul. The league’s Last 2-Minute Report backed this up, saying Kuminga reached over Green and pulled him down.
They also noted that another player, Fred VanVleet, didn’t foul Payton when he went for the ball. However, they did admit there were a couple of missed calls in the final minutes, which probably doesn’t help Kerr feel any better.
In the end, it’s a tough loss for the Warriors, and Kerr might be facing a fine for his comments about the refs. Just another day in the wild world of the NBA!