The Golden State Warriors suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Houston Rockets in Las Vegas, falling short of advancing to the NBA Cup semifinals. Steve Kerr was left seething after an officiating crew made a call he claims has never been made in his 30-year NBA career.
With the game tied and only seconds remaining, the Warriors’ Stephen Curry missed a 3-pointer, and a scramble for the loose ball ensued. However, Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga was called for a personal foul, resulting in two free throws for Houston guard Fred VanVleet, who buried both shots to seal the win.
Kerr was furious with the call, stating that he had never seen anything like it before. “I’ve never seen a loose ball foul on a jump ball situation, 80 feet from the basket with the game on the line,” he said. “That’s unconscionable.”
The Warriors had blown a six-point lead in the final minutes and were unable to score in the last three minutes. Curry also felt that he was fouled on a earlier play, but the officials did not call it.
“We can talk about the refs all day, but it’s not why we lost,” Curry said. “But there are swings in the game, obviously the last two free throws and that play.”
The Warriors will now face Oklahoma City on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/42925566/steve-kerr-furious-late-call-warriors-fall-nba-cup