The Golden State Warriors saw their 2024 Emirates NBA Cup journey end on Wednesday night, as they lost 91-90 to the Houston Rockets in the quarterfinals at Toyota Center. This game saw some controversy, as the Warriors were called for a loose ball foul in the dying moments and their head coach Steve Kerr went off on the officials over it in his postgame press conference.
“I’ve never seen a loose ball foul on a jump ball situation 80 feet from the basket, with the game on the line,” Kerr said. “I’ve never seen that. Think I saw it in college one time, 30 years ago. Never seen it in the NBA. That is unconscionable. I don’t even understand what just happened.
“Loose ball, diving on the floor 80 feet from the basket and you’re going to give a guy two free throws to decide the game when people are scrambling for the ball? Just give them a timeout,” Kerr stated. “Let the players decide the game. That’s how you officiate, especially because the game was a complete wrestling match.
“They didn’t call anything,” Kerr continued. “Steph Curry got hit on the elbow plain as day on a jump shot. Just clubbed right on there (points to hand). No call. So you’ve established you’re just not going to call anything throughout the game. It’s a physical game. You’re gonna call a loose ball foul on a jump ball situation with guys diving on the floor with the game on the line?
“This is a billion-dollar industry,” Kerr added. “You’ve got people’s jobs on the line. I am stunned… I feel for our guys. Our guys battled back, played their a**es off, and deserved to win that game or at least have a chance for one stop at the end to finish the game, and that was taken from us by a call 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.'”
You can check out the loose ball foul and the sequence that led to it below.
The Rockets were EVERYWHERE on this game-winning sequence 🔥
HOU is headed to the #EmiratesNBACup Semifinals! pic.twitter.com/9eOzB2npUy
— NBA (@NBA) December 12, 2024
Gary Payton II had seemingly won the game for the Warriors by getting the rebound after Stephen Curry missed a three. Payton, who was on the floor, then tried to pass the ball to a teammate but Jalen Green just about managed to get to it before Jonathan Kuminga. While many anticipated a jump ball to be called as the two fought for the ball, the officials called a foul on Kuminga, much to Kerr’s disbelief.
I think Steve Kerr just provided us with a new meme 😭pic.twitter.com/BzKwMD0j6M
— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenterig) December 12, 2024
As Kerr stated, the officials had allowed both teams to be very physical in this game but then chose to blow the whistle here.
Green sunk both free throws after this call to give the Rockets the lead. Jabari Smith Jr. then blocked Brandin Podziemski’s potential game-winner on the next play to knock the Warriors out of the cup. The 17-8 Rockets now head to Las Vegas where they’ll take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday at 8:30 PM ET in the semifinals.
As for the Warriors, this loss snapped their 15-game win streak against the Rockets and dropped them to 14-10 on the season. They’ll take on the Dallas Mavericks next at Chase Center on Sunday at 8:30 PM ET.
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