Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry fully supports Steve Kerr’s animated reaction to two contentious calls that led to the head coach’s ejection during the 103-102 loss to the LA Clippers on Monday night.
Kerr was hit with back-to-back technical fouls early in the fourth quarter, the first of which came at the 8:44 mark when Curry’s floater was waved off just after the ball went through the hoop. The officials deemed that John Collins fouled Curry before the field goal, thus erasing the two points that had helped Golden State cut the deficit to 78-76.
The second, arguably more egregious call, came at the 8:01 mark when Gary Payton had his layup blocked by Collins, even though replays indicated the Clippers forward swiped the ball after it hit the backboard, meaning it should have been a goaltend.
When the refs refused to call a goaltend, Kerr absolutely lost it, as seen in the clip below. The longtime Warriors coach was immediately ejected — the first time he was tossed out of a game since a March 28, 2022 game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Stephen Curry on Steve Kerr’s Ejection
After the game, Curry said that Kerr wouldn’t have been as infuriated if not for the back-to-back controversial calls from the referees, defending his head coach.
“It was both back-to-back calls that aggravated [Kerr], Curry said,” via San Francisco Chronicle’s Sam Gordon.
“It’s hard to miss both of those and the momentum swing in a situation like that. Coach did the right thing, we responded the right way, gave ourselves a chance to win but on the road that’s a tough moment.”
Curry admitted that he was planning to react just as furiously as Kerr, before his longtime coach took the bullet for him and his teammates.
“To be honest, I was going to do that until I saw him,” Curry said of Kerr’s reaction. “I was appreciative of that because two crazy calls in a row that you feel like can dictate the momentum of a game. Doesn’t mean a win or a loss. It just dictates the momentum. I love that fired-up Steve, for sure. Somebody had to do it tonight.”
Steph Curry after the loss to the Clippers, Steve Kerr’s ejection.
Warriors Frustrations Boil Over
When Kerr was ejected at the 7:57 mark, the Warriors trailed 84-74. Thereafter, they went on a 26-17 run to cut the deficit to 101-100 at the 1:05 mark when Curry made a three off a Draymond Green assist.
Unfortunately, Curry would foul out at 23 seconds later while fighting Kris Dunn for a rebound. The sharpshooter does not regret the play.
“That was the right call,” Curry said of getting fouled out while fighting for a rebound.
“That’s the one I wanted back. (Fouling out) was tough. Foreign territory for sure. The good news is I probably won’t foul out the rest of my career.”
With the heartbreaking loss, the Warriors (19-18) find themselves just two games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers (17-20) as the eighth seed in the West. They entered Monday’s game on a hot stretch, having won six of their previous eight games.
Stephen Curry Sounds off on Steve Kerr’s Ejection in Warriors Loss