The NBA confirmed in its Last Two Minute Report on Thursday that officials made the correct call at the end of the Houston Rockets’ 91-90 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.
NBA says the officials correctly assessed a personal foul on Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga
Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga was assessed a personal foul on Houston’s Jalen Green on a loose ball scramble, resulting in Green making the winning free throws.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game that the officiating crew, led by crew chief Bill Kennedy, had made an “unconscionable” call that he’d never seen in his entire life.
A foul here is insane pic.twitter.com/bgcQwRywNU
— Alex 👋 (@Dubs408) December 12, 2024
Kerr argued that the officials had allowed physical play up until that foul call with 3.5 seconds left. Green’s free throws sent Houston to Las Vegas to play in the NBA Cup semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.
“I’m pissed off,” a frustrated Kerr said after the loss. “I wanted to go to Las Vegas. We wanted to win this Cup, and we aren’t going because of a loose ball foul, 80 feet from the basket with the game on the line. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, and that was ridiculous.”
Kuminga reached over Green in an attempt to get to the ball and pull his shoulder down
On the possession that Kuminga fouled Green, Stephen Curry missed a 3-point attempt. Both sides scrambled to recover the loose ball. Gary Payton II was able to gain possession of the ball on the floor, as Fred VanVleet also dove for the ball. Payton then tried to pass the ball to Kuminga, resulting in Green diving on the ball.
The NBA said Kuminga “reaches over Green in an attempt to get to the ball and pulls his shoulder down.” As for Payton and VanVleet, the NBA determined it was a correct non-call as both made “incidental contact with each other in pursuit of the loose ball.
“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 think I saw it in college one time 30 years ago. Never seen it in the NBA. … I don’t even understand what just happened.
“… Just give them a timeout and 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.
“It’s a physical game. And 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. You got people’s jobs on the line.”
NBA confirmed last week that Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun did not signal for a timeout against the Warriors
This is the second loss in eight days in which the NBA confirmed a late call was correct that Kerr believed cost the Warriors a game. However, the league defended its officiating in both games involving the Dubs.
At the end of Golden State’s 119-115 loss at the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 3, Kerr argued that Denver’s Christian Braun signaled for a timeout after securing a loose ball while the Nuggets had no timeouts left.
The officials said they did not see Braun clearly signal for a timeout. That would have resulted in a technical foul and possession for the Warriors with 1.9 seconds left down four. The officials called for a jump ball instead.
Per the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report, Braun “never fully or clearly signals for a timeout and therefore a timeout is not recognized.” Braun said after the win that he knew the Nuggets were without any timeouts because coach Michael Malone and his staff talked about it.
“No,” Braun said when asked whether he called timeout. “It might’ve looked like it, maybe. I was fumbling the ball on the ground a little bit. My hands moved but the refs didn’t call it.”
