The Golden State Warriors suffered a heartbreaking loss on the road against the Dallas Mavericks tonight. Stephen Curry and Co. hoped to extend their 6-game winning streak by defeating a Luka Doncic-less Mavs squad. But they ended up losing the game by 2 points with the final score of 108-106. A controversial moment that contributed to the Warriors’ loss was the last-minute blocking foul called on Steph. The official’s decision left everyone confused and sparked a debate between radio hosts Cyrus Saatsaz and Ryan Leong.
The Warriors trailed the Mavs by just 1 point with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game. After Stephen Curry missed a clutch three-pointer that would have given them the lead, the Mavs initiated a fastbreak. Kyrie Irving passed the ball to a sprinting PJ Washington. With no option left, Steph stood in Washington’s driving lane to take a charge and hopefully get an offensive foul called on the Mavs. Instead, the officials called a blocking foul on Curry. The Warriors immediately reviewed the play, but the officials stood by their call and deemed the review unsuccessful. Ryan Leong backed the official’s decision during the radio show, “I think it’s a legit call. I think the Warriors can’t complain about that.”
The replay showed that the heel of Steph’s foot was on the restricted area when he set up to take the charge. He lifted his heel while making contact with Washington. However, the NBA rules suggest even if a player’s body is hovering above the restricted area, it is illegal. Steph’s heel was in line with the restricted area, which means the official made the correct call. Cyrus Saatsaz claimed many people, including him, did not know about this rule. He believed the referees should have overturned the call, “I thought he was clear there. But according to the refs, whatever man.”
Stephen Curry has not had the best luck with the officials recently
The blocking foul on Stephen Curry might have cost the Warriors tonight’s game. The Mavs snapped the Warriors’ 6-game winning streak after PJ Washington hit a game-winning shot in the final seconds. Had the foul call gone Steph’s way, it could have shifted the momentum in the Warriors’ favor. But Steph has not had the best luck with the referees recently. He has found it hard to get calls from the officials.
During his last encounter with the Dallas Mavericks, Steph got frustrated after the referees did not call a foul on the Mavs’ defenders despite clearly getting hit by them. The Warriors superstar yelled and fell to the floor after two Mavs defenders bodied him during a layup attempt. Steph looked at the official in disbelief as he got back to his feet to run back on defense.
Steph let out his frustration during yesterday’s game against the Rockets. After an official finally called a foul in Steph’s favor, he had an animated reaction to the call. The 2-time MVP lifted his arms and yelled in celebration after hearing the whistle.
Every win is crucial for the Warriors amid the heated playoff race, and they cannot afford to let referee’s decisions affect the outcome of the games. However, the Warriors cannot complain tonight as the official made the right call on Stephen Curry.