After controversial call, Warriors bounced from NBA Cup with loss to Rockets

As aghast as Steve Kerr was last week when the referees didn’t see Christian Braun try to call a timeout he didn’t have in the waning moments of last week’s loss in Denver, it didn’t compare to his disbelief at how the end of the Rockets game ended.

With 3.5 seconds left and the Warriors leading by one, Rockets guard Jalen Green dove on a loose ball. His teammates tried to call timeout, mirroring the Braun play. Instead, the officials called a foul on Jonathan Kuminga, sending Green to the foul line for what became the game-winning free throws.

“I don’t even understand what just happened,” Kerr said as part of a two-minute rant postgame.

That’s how the Rockets beat the Warriors for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the globe in 2020, the Warriors lost a game to the Houston Rockets. Their winning streak against the Rockets entering Wednesday was 15 — the longest such streak over any particular team in the NBA.

This rare loss, a sluggish 91-90 defeat, knocked Golden State (14-10) out of NBA Cup contention.

Draymond Green chewed out crew chief Bill Kennedy after the final horn sounded, disgusted at the way the ending unfolded. The Warriors had been in command for most of the fourth quarter, but got outscored 7-0 in the last three minutes.

Kuminga, the recipient of the tough call at the end, finished with a team-high 20 points on the night.

“To call a loose-ball foul on a jump-ball situation with guys diving on the floor, with a game on the line?” Kerr said. “This is a billion dollar industry. People’s jobs are on the line. I’m stunned.”

Losing out on the Las Vegas portion of the NBA Cup isn’t necessarily a bad outcome for the Warriors. Rather than losing a home game, facing tougher competition, and possibly playing an extra, meaningless championship game, the Warriors get to head home to host the Mavericks next Sunday. They get to play two games all week instead of embarking on a 12-day road trip.

Kerr joked pregame that the Rockets’ bright red NBA Cup court was like descending into the depths of hell. What was really in hell, though, were both offenses.

Houston forced seven Warriors turnovers in the first quarter. Both teams combined for five total points in the last four minutes of the frame, with the Rockets ultimately winning 20-18 despite going 1-for-10 from deep.

The Rockets’ tenacious defense prevented the Warriors from catching any sort of rhythm. Amen Thompson — face-guarding Curry for much of the time they shared the court — swatted Curry at the rim. Then Golden State committed shot-clock violations on back-to-back possessions.

Golden State’s turnover count ticked up to 13 as Houston ripped off a 12-2 run. Jalen Green threw down a dunk with authority, as did Tari Eason after an inexcusable turnover in the backcourt from Lindy Waters III.

The only thing keeping the Warriors in the game was Houston’s inability to make 3s. At one point, they missed 13 straight triples. The Rockets’ lack of range shooting gave the Warriors a chance to respond with an 11-2 run of their own.

A trio of Kuminga buckets and a Curry and-1 helped inch the Warriors within a point halfway through the third quarter. Then they took control, as Buddy Hield drained a trio of triples after starting 0-for-5 from deep. He scored 11 in the third quarter, putting the Warriors ahead with his hot hand.

Golden State’s defense kept straightjacketing the Rockets, even when they benched Sengun for their springier lineup combination that has given the Warriors issues this year.

Lindy Waters III added two 3s before Brandin Podziemski, in a season-long shooting slump, nailed a jab-step 3 of his own. Kuminga added one from the corner, putting the Warriors up 89-82.

After going without a field goal for over four minutes, Fred VanVleet hit a corner 3 to draw the Rockets within three. The Warriors turned it over on three straight possessions, repeating late-game troubles that have cropped up recently. The Rockets won the last 77 seconds 7-0.

Including the back-breaking call — one that Kerr said an elementary school referee would’ve had the feel to know not to make.

The game got decided at the foul line, sending the Rockets from the gates of hell to Sin City.

“I’m pissed off,” Kerr said. “We wanted to go to Las Vegas, we wanted to win this cup. And we aren’t going because of a loose ball 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.”