Getty Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry argues with an official during a game against the Sacramento Kings.
Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry delivered a message to referees at the end of the team’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, and now he’s ready to deal with the consequences.
Curry took what appeared to be an intentional technical foul in the final seconds of the team’s 137-114 win over the Wolves on November 27. After teammate Draymond Green had been assessed a technical for stepping onto the court during his celebration, Curry took one of his own in apparent solidarity.
After the game, Curry sent a message to the league over the incident.
Curry Ready to Pay Up
The controversial sequence started with close to 90 seconds remaining and the Warriors wrapping up their 11th win of the season. After teammate Jordan Poole made a layup at the opposite end of the court, Green stepped onto the court while celebrating and was whistled for a technical foul.
Green disagreed with the call, and seconds later Curry intentionally crossed onto the court while celebrating a three-pointer from teammate Donte DiVincenzo to get a technical of his own.
After the game, Curry shared a video of the sequence on Twitter along with a message to the NBA that he was ready to pay up for the incident.
“I’ll take the fine! Good win Dubs!” he tweeted.
I’ll take the fine! Good win Dubs!
Green also spoke out after the game, saying he didn’t believe it warranted a whistle since he was nowhere near the play.
“They told me I was at the lane line,” Green said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “I thought I was standing in the corner, so I don’t know. Sucks though. It’s the NBA man. Your teammates make a good move. I didn’t affect the play, like, there’s no one near me. Sucks. And the fact that that’s going to count, come on.
“It’s ridiculous. But whatever. It is what it is.”
The league’s crackdown on bench behavior traces back in part to the Warriors’ win over the Dallas Mavericks in last season’s Western Conference Finals. In the series, the league hit Dallas with a $100,000 fine after it said that several bench players and coaches were “encroaching upon the playing court during game action.”
Curry Has Lost His Cool Before
This is not the first time this season that Curry has courted controversy with regard to officiating. Back on November 7, he was given another technical foul after making a tough shot over Malik Monk of the Sacramento Kings and not getting a foul call. After confronting the referee, Curry was given a technical foul, but the incident only seemed to motivate him more as he finished with a season-high 47 points.
Steph is absolutely HEATED there wasn’t a foul called 😡
After the game, Green said the incident seemed to push Curry to another level.
“Take what I’m about to say with a grain of salt,” Green said, via a report from The Athletic. “It was very Game 4 of the NBA Finals to me. He just wasn’t gonna allow us to lose.”
Sunday’s win was one of the most important of the young season for the Warriors, pushing them back above .500 for the first time since late October. After starting 3-7, the Warriors have now won eight of their last 11 games.