Warriors coach Steve Kerr questions late foul calls in loss to Rockets

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HOUSTON (AP) – Golden State coach Steve Kerr said a foul call against his team that led to a loss to Houston on Wednesday night in the NBA Cup was “unconscionable” and that an elementary school referee would not have handled it.

After Stephen Curry missed a 3-pointer with the Warriors up by one point with 11 seconds left, Gary Payton II grabbed the offensive rebound but turned it over with a pass that Jalen Green intercepted. Jonathan Kuminga was then called for a foul on Green while they were on the floor, giving Green a pair of free throws that lifted the Rockets to the 91-90 victory and a berth in the NBA Cup semifinals.

“It’s unconscionable,” Kerr said. “I mean, I don’t even understand what just happened.”

Kerr thought it should have either been a bounce ball or the Rockets should have called the timeout they tried to call.

“Our guys battled back, played their (expletives) off and deserved to win that game or at least have a chance for a stop at the end to end the game,” he said. “And that was taken away from us by a call that I don’t think a high school umpire would have made. Because that guy would have had the feeling 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 by a pool reporter why the foul was called.

“The defender makes contact with the neck and shoulder area, which warrants a personal foul to be called,” Kennedy said.

Kerr ranted about the referee for about two minutes after the game, complaining about what he believed 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 like day on a jump shot, just clubbed right there and no calls. So you’ve established that you just don’t want to call anything the whole game, it’s a physical game. So you’re going to call a loose ball foul on a jump ball situation with guys diving to the floor with the game on the line?”

Houston went 15 games against the Warriors and won for the first time in the series since February 20, 2020, when James Harden and Russell Westbrook led the Rockets.