Steph Curry put on a marvelous display in the Warriors’ comeback win over the Kings Monday night, scoring 47 points including a pair of free throws that were the final points of the 116-113 victory.
But they should not have been the game’s final points and the Kings should have had a chance to tie it at the free-throw line, according to the NBA’s Last Two Minute report evaluating the officiating in the final minutes of the game.
Any Warriors fan watching the final-second 3-point heave from Kevin Huerter probably had a lump in their throat seeing Klay Thompson crowding the Kings guard as he leapt for the attempt. Well, it turns out Thompson did in fact foul Huerter, who should have been awarded three free-throw attempts.
“Thompson makes contact with Huerter’s arm, which affects his jump shot attempt,” the Last Two Minute report reads.
In real time, Huerter and the Kings were incensed as his jump shot from 34 feet out as time expired appeared to travel much shorter than the intended distance. He protested to the officials, but was told that there was no foul on the play and the game was over.
Huerter and teammates De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk took to Twitter to vent after the loss.
“Only thing we can do at this point is get fined. Zero accountability,” Huerter tweeted, in apparent acceptance that he’d be punished for criticizing the officials.
“It’s tough being a Sacramento King, I think, because Kevin got fouled,” Kings coach Mike Brown said after the game, per the Sacramento Bee. “… I just want, at the end of the game, somebody to step up and make the right call. A guy gets hit on the arm shooting a 3, that’s a foul. A guy takes six steps, or three, four steps, that’s a travel.”
Brown was apparently referring to a game last week in which Miami’s Tyler Herro had an uncalled traveling violation before a 3-pointer to beat the Kings, but the Last Two Minute report also noted that Curry should have been whistled for a travel with 16 seconds left and the Warriors leading by one point.
The missed calls on Thompson and Curry were the only two mistakes noted in the report.
