NBA L2MR: Warriors hurt by two missed calls late in Game 4 loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The Warriors didn’t have their A-game on Sunday in Denver but still had a chance to steal Game 4 and sweep the Nuggets thanks to a second-half charge by Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
But one missed call hurt Golden State’s chances of completing the comeback as the Warriors eventually fell 126-121.
The NBA released its Last Two Minute Report on Monday and noted that with 42.2 seconds left the officials made an incorrect out-of-bounds call that cost the Warriors a critical possession.
With the game tied at 121, Thompson missed a corner 3-pointer and Andrew Wiggins missed the follow-up dunk. Otto Porter Jr. and Monte Morris both went after the loose ball, eventually knocking it out of bounds. Officials ruled that Porter was the last one to touch the ball, but the NBA ruled Monday that the ball went off Morris and the Warriors should have retained possession.
On the ensuing possession, Morris made a seven-foot floater, giving Denver a 123-121 lead. The Warriors turned the ball over on the next trip down the floor and Will Barton drilled a dagger 3-pointer to seal a 126-121 win for Denver and force Game 5.
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The NBA also found two other missed calls from the final two minutes of Game 4. One was a missed traveling call on Curry.
The other occurred during the same position as the missed out-of-bounds call. With 48.9 seconds remaining, the NBA ruled that Austin Rivers should have been called for a foul on Curry as he impeded his SQBR. The Warriors were in the bonus so Curry would have been sent to the line for two free throws.
Given that it’s playoff basketball and Rivers’ contact wasn’t egregious, it was probably good the refs swallowed their whistle after over-officiating early in the game. However, the missed out-of-bounds call on Morris did rob the Warriors of a possession that could have given them the lead if they executed properly.
What doomed the Warriors in Game 4, though, was their sloppy first half that was filled with fouls and turnovers. Golden State didn’t play sound basketball and allowed Denver to roar out to a 17-point lead midway through the second quarter.
The fact that the Warriors almost won despite committing 27 fouls and turning the ball over 15 times speaks to the gap between the two teams.
The Warriors knew it would be hard to close out the Nuggets at home, but head back to the Bay for Game 5 feeling confident about their chances of ending the Nuggets’ season.