(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
It took them a while, but the Golden State Warriors were finally at their best on the road this season.
They stole homecourt advantage with their Game 5 win over the Sacramento Kings, now holding a remarkable streak of 28 straight playoff series winning at least one game on the road.
Nonetheless, the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report points out that they may have gotten a lucky break in that one.
Stephen Curry put the game out of reach with an and-one layup with just 22.4 seconds left in the game.
However, the report states that Curry should’ve been called for a double-dribble on that play:
WARDELL STEPHEN CURRY II pic.twitter.com/UTCIHlqvH3
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 27, 2023
“Curry (GSW) brings his hand underneath the ball and pins it to his body before he resumes his dribble thereafter,” the report reads.
The refs didn’t blow the whistle, which led to Curry putting his team up by eight points with little-to-no time left.
Had the officials called the violation, the Kings would’ve gotten the ball back down five points with roughly 25 seconds still left to play.
Of course, it would’ve still been tricky for Sacramento to even things up, let alone win the game, but the chance was there.
Even so, the report also points out that the Kings caught a couple of breaks in the game’s final two minutes as well.
Harrison Barnes should’ve been called for a defensive three-second violation on a play that later led to Warriors center Kevon Looney being called for an offensive foul.
Then, in Sacramento’s final possession, Barnes grabbed Looney’s arm and wasn’t called for an offensive foul on a rebound attempt.
The Dubs will now look to close the series out in their home building on Friday night with fans hoping the referees aren’t much of a factor this time around.
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