Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was ejected, and star guard Stephen Curry fouled out in Monday night’s 103-102 road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Stephen Curry’s Floater Was Waved Off
Kerr’s two technicals came early in the fourth quarter after arguing multiple officiating decisions. The first call came with 8:44 left after Curry made a floater, but it was waved off just after the ball went through the basket.
Officials ruled that Curry was fouled on the floor, taking away the two points.
“It’s usually play on [if it’s a made shot],” Curry said. “I’ve never seen it where it’s a delayed call and then ‘Oh, it’s a foul,’ and then, ‘Oh, no basket.'”
Gary Payton II then had a layup blocked by John Collins, but replays showed Collins touched the ball after it hit the backboard, indicating that it should have been a goaltend.
According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, crew chief Brian Forte said in a postgame pool report that it “should have been ruled a goaltending violation.”
Collins’ block led to a Clippers fast break and Curry’s fifth foul of the game.
Kerr was furious and stomped onto the court, leading to assistant coaches retraining him as he yelled at all three officials. His behavior resulted in two technicals and an ejection.
Warriors Fell Short Without Kerr, Curry
Warriors lead assistant Terry Stotts stepped in as the interim coach for the rest of the game.
“I’m up here because I’m saving Steve some money,” Stotts said, per Slater.
Although Curry went on to hit two 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the game, he reached in on a defensive rebound attempt with 43 seconds left, committing a sixth foul.
Curry scored 27 points but was just 9-for-23 (39.1%) from the field and 4-for-15 (26.7%) from 3-point range. It was the first time Curry had fouled out of a game since Dec. 17, 2021, at Boston.
With the Warriors trailing 103-102 on the final offensive possession, Jimmy Butler missed a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer that would’ve won it for Golden State.
The loss dropped the Warriors to 19-18 overall and 8-13 away.
However, Golden State has won six of its last nine games and now returns home for eight straight in the Bay Area. The Warriors begin that homestand when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.
