NBA says Domas hitting Steph in face wasn’t a foul, explains why

NBA says Domas hitting Steph in face wasn’t a foul, explains why originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

A controversial non-call played a pivotal role in the Warriors’ 134-133 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Thursday at Chase Center.

With 26 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Warriors clinging to a 133-132 lead, Steph Curry and Kings center Domantas Sabonis were in a scrum under the basket, vying for a rebound off Kings guard Kevin Huerter’s missed 3-point attempt.

While positioning for the rebound, Sabonis struck Curry in the face, knocking the Warriors superstar to the ground, but the officials made no foul call.

On Friday, the NBA confirmed the officials’ decision, with the Last Two Minute Report citing a non-call as the correct outcome of the controversial play.

“Sabonis follows through after attempting to reach the loose ball and contact occurs with Curry’s head/face. Contact to an opponent’s head/face can be deemed marginal when the result of a natural basketball move, provided the contact is not disproportionate or uncontrolled,” the report states.

Sacramento then took the lead on the next possession before a bizarre ending, in which the Warriors lost to the Kings by one point for the second time during the 2023-24 NBA season.

The loss dropped the Warriors to 19-23 on the season. Golden State is two games back of a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament, with four games in hand on the No. 10 seed Utah Jazz.

The Warriors return to action against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night at Chase Center, where they will look to rebound from yet another brutal defeat this season.

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