A foul called during crunch time of the Warriors’ 106-101 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday night proved to be pivotal.
With less than a minute left in the game at FedExForum and Golden State trailing by one, Draymond Green and Ja Morant both went up for a rebound. Green came up with the board but was assessed a loose ball foul after making contact with Morant, who sold the foul as he fell to the floor.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Instead of the Warriors coming away with a key possession, the Grizzlies’ star point guard put two free points on the board for Memphis. One Klay Thompson turnover and an Andrew Wiggins foul later, and the Grizzlies walked away with enough points to secure the win.
The Warriors still had their challenge left when the Green foul occurred, and reporters asked coach Steve Kerr after the game if he had considered using it to review the play.
“No,” Kerr said matter-of-factly.
As Morant went down on the court, Kerr made a decision not to call the foul into question at the end of what was a high-intensity matchup through all four quarters.
Golden State Warriors
Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
It was Green’s fifth foul on the night and one of 20 total personal fouls for the Warriors on Tuesday. The Warriors had fewer fouls than the Grizzlies’ 23 and won the night’s rebound battle with 52 total boards.
RELATED: Ja playfully chirps at Steph after Warriors' Game 2 loss
But Golden State struggled to contain Morant and shot just 18.4 percent from 3-point range.
It’s hard to say how the game would have turned out had the loose ball foul on Green not been called or if it had been challenged, but Golden State ultimately didn’t take advantage of the opportunities they had on the court.