The Golden State Warriors had their most meaningful game of the NBA season on Wednesday night, traveling to take on the hot Houston Rockets in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup. The Dubs had fared well against the Rockets this year even with the absence of Steph Curry, but the stakes in play on Wednesday — a shot in the NBA Cup semifinals, and $100,000 for each player — meant that Golden State was sure to take Houston’s best shot.
It seemed like they oh-so-narrowly survived the Rockets best shot. But they didn’t survive the best shot of the refs.
The game was a grind-it-out, all-defense affair from the opening tip. The Warriors were sloppy on offense, partially of their own doing, and partially due to a spectacular defensive effort by the Rockets. And Golden State matched Houston’s defensive brilliance with excellence of their own. The Warriors starting five couldn’t score, and their second unit really couldn’t score, but the second unit kept the defensive effort up. The game felt tied at 18-15 in Houston’s favor for hours ... over the final 4:25 of the first quarter, the teams combined for just five points. With six turnovers already to their name, the Warriors trailed 20-18 after one.
The second quarter didn’t offer much more. The Dubs got off to a bad start, with two quick turnovers, forcing Steve Kerr to call timeout just 66 seconds in. They seemed to turn a corner with back-to-back emphatic dunks by Trayce Jackson-Davis and Draymond Green, but then fell back into their turnover habits, and suddenly the Dubs defense started to slip. A pair of their own 24-second violations bookended a violent dunk by Jalen Green, and gave the Rockets a 34-24 lead about five minutes in. That lead ballooned to 40-26, forcing Steve Kerr to call timeout with 4:14 remaining in the half.
Led by energy from Brandin Podziemski, the Warriors countered with an 11-2 run, locking in on defense to create easy offense. Houston ended the half on a high note though, and led 44-37 at halftime. At that point the Warriors had shot just 4-for-22 on threes, and the Rockets just 1-for-13.
The third quarter was where the excitement really occurred. The Warriors closed the gap again, largely behind aggression and perseverance from Jonathan Kuminga. Finally, with about four minutes left, Jackson-Davis gave the team the lead. Thanks to some brilliant Steph Curry moments and 11 points from Buddy Hield, the Warriors held on for a 69-68 advantage after three.
The fourth quarter brought some of the biggest drama and energy that we’ve seen in the NBA this year. Every possession felt huge, and the Warriors quickly pushed the lead to six. But the Rockets kept gaining momentum, even though various Warriors would answer with threes to keep them at bay. The bench unit of Podziemski, Hield, Kuminga, Jackson-Davis, and Lindy Waters III kept the defensive intensity, and maintained a four-point lead when Curry and Green re-entered the game with 4:26 remaining.
A three by Kuminga gave the Warriors a seven-point lead with under four minutes remaining, and, led by a superstar performance from Green, the Warriors defense locked in. But they turned the ball over three straight times inside two minutes, giving the Rockets the ball with under a minute remaining, down just three. After a hectic sequence, Alperen Şengün made a layup to cut the lead to one with about 27 seconds remaining.
Then everything fell apart. Curry, rather than running the shot clock down, went for a dagger, attempting a three only about halfway through the shot clock. He missed, by Gary Payton II made a miraculous offensive rebound, before falling on the ground trying to secure the ball. Surrounded by Rockets and fearful of a jump ball, Payton attempted to roll the ball to a teammate. Kuminga and Jalen Green both hit the ground for the loose ball, in what seemed like an energetic and exciting, but completely standard play.
The refs blew the whistle with 3.5 seconds remaining. Standard stuff.
And then they called a foul on Kuminga. It was a foul I’m not sure I’ve ever seen called before, and Kerr’s post-game sentiments were not only as hot as you would expect, but also accurate.
Steve Kerr called the loose ball foul that decided the game with 3.5 seconds left an “unconscionable” whistle and something an “elementary school” official wouldn’t have called.
Here’s his full soundbite pic.twitter.com/E9O8Inurcl
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 12, 2024
Jalen Green sank both free throws, giving the Rockets a one-point lead. The Warriors couldn’t get a clean look at the buzzer, with Podziemski having a three blocked, while the Warriors protested that a foul should have been called.
Instead, a buzzer rang, and they lost 91-90.
While the Warriors can and should blame the refs, they also can and should blame themselves. They tied a season-high with 22 assists, and shot just 12-for-38 on threes. Their execution once again fell apart down the stretch, as the game ended on a 7-0 Rockets run, and the Warriors didn’t score in the final three minutes.
Kuminga led the charge with 20 points, while Curry (19) and Hield (15) were the only other Warriors in double figures. Green had a mild-mannered line and committed five turnovers, but might have played the best individual defensive game in the NBA this season.
Now eliminated from the NBA Cup, the Warriors will instead play the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday to give them an 82-game schedule.