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[Saba Sports News] Tuesday night’s NBA Play-In showdown between the Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies delivered high drama down to the final seconds.
The Warriors pulled off a 121-116 win, prompting a celebratory embrace between Steph Curry and head coach Steve Kerr. But as thrilling as the finish was, it didn’t come without controversy.
According to the NBA’s Last Two Minute (L2M) report, officials missed multiple critical calls in the closing moments—calls that could have shifted the outcome.
The first questionable moment came when Draymond Green fouled out on a reach-in against Scottie Pippen Jr. Despite Green’s protests, the foul stood. Moments later, with 37 seconds remaining, Warriors rookie Brandin Podziemski was whistled for a shooting foul on Pippen, although replays—and now the L2M report—show he made a clean block.
The report also flagged another error involving Kevon Looney, who was called for a foul during a rebound battle despite minimal involvement in the play.
Moses Moody had been the one battling for the board when he was shoved into Grizzlies center Zach Edey. Edey went to the line and sank two free throws, trimming the Warriors’ lead to one with just 14 seconds left.
On the ensuing possession, Curry lost the ball out of bounds while under pressure from Ja Morant. Per the L2M report, the ball last touched Curry and should have gone back to Memphis. Instead, Golden State retained possession.
The Grizzlies still had a chance, trailing by three, but were called for a five-second violation while trying to inbound the ball with just five ticks left. Golden State escaped with the win—and a playoff berth—but the missed calls left many fans fuming.
“This honestly might have been the worst officiated game of the year,” one fan posted on X. “It wasn’t even five seconds—and even if it was, refs usually let that go in crunch time. Oh, and GP2 was holding Ja Morant. Should’ve been a dead-ball foul.”
Another fan wrote, “These refs indeed suck. How is that a foul on Draymond?”
Despite the league’s acknowledgment of officiating errors, and the Warriors advancing, it’s clear that fans won’t be forgetting—or forgiving—anytime soon.