Not all was well following the Golden State Warriors' 91-90 loss to the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center on Wednesday evening. Aside from the poor shooting from both teams, a few sequences inspired Warriors head coach Steve Kerr to share grievances after the match. Kerr ridiculed referees following the Warriors' NBA Cup elimination.
Although the Warriors had a six-point line in the final 90 seconds of the game, the Rockets fought through adversity and won the game for their home crowd.
In the final four seconds, the Warriors and Rockets scrambled on the floor in a loose-ball moment following a missed 3-point shot from Stephen Curry. Instead of calling a jump ball, the refs called a foul, which put Jalen Green on the line.
Ultimately, the Rockets guard sank both free throws to seal the game 91-90.
Kerr exuded sheer frustration from the costly sequence in his rips of the refs.
Related: How Did Warriors Succumb to NBA Elimination?
"They [Warriors] played their (expletives) off and deserved to win that game or at least have a chance for one stop at the end to finish the game," Kerr said. "And that was taken from us by a call that I don't think an elementary school referee would have made because that guy would have had to be up. He said, 'You know what, I'm not going to decide a game on a loose ball.'"
Although Kerr could blame the officials for spoiling the Warriors' NBA Cup hopes, he must look at his team's abysmal 12 for 38 shooting from 3 and the 44-percent mark from the charity stripe for valid reasons for the loss.
Related: Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets NBA Cup Matchup Presents Historical Implications
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This story was originally published December 12, 2024, 7:50 AM.