The Golden State Warriors lost their NBA Cup game against the Denver Nuggets 119-115 on Tuesday night and head coach Steve Kerr was not happy with the way it ended. Speaking to the media after the loss, he was upset about a crucial missed call in the closing moments of the match.
Kerr believes the officials missed Nuggets guard Christian Braun and called for a timeout after he dove for a rebound in the final five seconds of the game. A player calling for a timeout is normally not a problem unless your team is out of timeouts – and the Nuggets were all out of TOs when Braun made the motion with his hands.
Kerr saw it (as did a number of players) and began frantically shouting and gesticulating at the officials, calling for a technical foul, which is the penalty when a player tries to take a timeout that his team doesn’t have. It would have given the Warriors a free throw and possession, which could have changed the game if they lost 119-115 at the time. But instead of a tech, the officials called for a jump ball with only 1.9 seconds left on the clock, and the 4th quarter ended with no more points scored.
After the game, the first question Kerr was asked was about that crucial non-call from the officials.
“Braun called a timeout. He dived to the ground and rolled over,” Kerr said. “Everyone saw it except the three guys we hire to do the games, and that makes me angry. That’s a technical foul. They’re out of timeout. We shoot a free throw, we get the ball, we have a chance to win the game.
“She [the officials] they all said they hadn’t seen it. … It’s up to the referees to see [it]. That’s why we have three. Someone has to see it. So yeah, that made me angry.”
Crew chief Tyler Ford told a pool reporter after the game that it wasn’t entirely clear what Braun was doing, which is why he called for a jump ball instead of ruling the Nuggets a technical foul.
“Christian Braun never fully or clearly called a timeout,” Ford said, via ESPN. “That’s why a timeout was not recognized.”
Not surprisingly, Braun said he didn’t call a timeout, though he admitted it may have looked like one.
“It may have looked like this. I was kind of messing around with the ball on the ground,” Braun said. “My hands were moving, but the referees didn’t call it.”
The game had been close throughout, but the Warriors had managed to take a ten-point lead with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets managed to erase that deficit and secure the victory thanks to a 23-9 run in the final seven minutes.
A win would have meant the Warriors could have stayed home next week and hosted the Dallas Mavericks for the NBA Cup quarterfinals. Instead, they’re packing up and heading to Texas to play the Houston Rockets.
