Golden State coach Steve Kerr criticized a foul call against his team that led to their loss to Houston in the NBA Cup on Wednesday, calling it “unconscionable” and saying even a referee at an elementary school level wouldn’t have made that decision.
With Golden State ahead by one point and just 11 seconds left, Stephen Curry missed a 3-pointer. Gary Payton II grabbed the rebound but made a bad pass that Jalen Green intercepted. Jonathan Kuminga was then called for a foul on Green as they both went for the ball on the floor. This gave Green two free throws, which helped Houston win 91-90 and advance to the NBA Cup semifinals.
Kerr was upset, saying, “That is unconscionable. I mean, I don’t even understand what just happened.” Kerr believed it should have been a jump ball or, at the very least, the Rockets should have been allowed a timeout they were trying to call.
“Our guys battled back, played their (expletives) off and deserved to win that game or at least have a chance for one stop at the end to finish the game,” Kerr said.
“And that was taken from us by a call that I don’t think an elementary school referee would have made. Because that guy would have had feel and said: ‘You know what I’m not going to decide a game on a loose ball 80 feet from the basket.’”
Crew chief Billy Kennedy was asked why the foul was called and explained, “The defender makes contact with the neck and shoulder area, warranting a personal foul to be called.”
Kerr continued to rant about the officiating for about two minutes after the game, also complaining about what he thought was a clear foul on Curry that wasn’t called earlier.
“The game was a complete wrestling match,” Kerr said. “They didn’t call anything. Steph Curry got hit on the elbow plain as day on a jump shot, just clubbed right on there and no call.
So, you’ve established that you’re just not going to call anything throughout the game, it’s a physical game. Then you’re going to call a loose ball foul on a jump ball situation with guys diving on the floor with the game on the line?”
Houston ended a 15-game losing streak against the Warriors, securing their first win against Golden State since February 20, 2020, when James Harden and Russell Westbrook played for the Rockets.
