Getty
Stephen Curry reacts alongside Draymond Green during the Golden State Warriors win over the Sacramento Kings, where a controversial late-game play prompted an NBA review.
The NBA has reached a final decision on a controversial late-game sequence involving the Sacramento Kings, determining that no rules were violated following a brief league review.
The league announced it has closed its investigation into the Kings without issuing a fine or any additional discipline, concluding that the play in question stemmed from a coaching mistake rather than any intentional effort to manipulate the outcome.
NBA Finds No Intentional Tanking in Kings’ Decision
The incident occurred during the fourth quarter of Sacramento’s 110-105 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.
Holding a 101-100 lead with just over three minutes remaining, Kings head coach Doug Christie instructed his team to intentionally foul Seth Curry off the ball — despite Golden State already being in the penalty.
The decision sent Curry, an 86.4% career free throw shooter, to the line for two shots in a high-leverage moment. The unusual sequence immediately drew attention, as intentional fouls in that situation are typically avoided when the opposing team is already in the bonus.
According to the NBA, its review confirmed that Christie misread the situation.
“The league’s investigation determined that Christie mistakenly believed that the Warriors were not in the penalty,” the NBA said in its statement. “The investigation found that Christie made no intentional effort to give the Warriors a shooting foul, or to cause the Kings to lose the game.”
Play Sparks Debate Around Strategy and Awareness
While the league ultimately ruled the play unintentional, the decision quickly became a focal point of postgame discussion.
Curry split the resulting free throws, making one of two attempts. Sacramento briefly regained the lead on the ensuing possession, but Golden State closed the game on a late run to secure the win.
The sequence stood out not only because of its timing but because of its implications. Intentional fouling in that context — particularly against a high-percentage shooter — is widely viewed as counterproductive, raising immediate questions about strategy and awareness.
Warriors Star Draymond Green Questions League’s Handling of Tanking
Warriors forward Draymond Green did not hold back in his postgame remarks, using the play to raise broader concerns about how the NBA addresses tanking.
Green suggested the move resembled behavior typically associated with teams attempting to lose games, pointing to what he described as inconsistency in how the league enforces competitive integrity.
“I saw a team tonight foul Seth Curry with three minutes to go in the game for no reason. In the penalty. It ain’t working,” Green said.
He went on to criticize the league’s approach to discipline, arguing that teams are not held to the same standard as players when it comes to financial penalties.
“If it was players, they’d snatch that money in a heartbeat,” Green added. “Why isn’t it the same?”
NBA Investigation Follows Growing Scrutiny
The NBA’s decision to review the play came shortly after comments from ESPN insider Shams Charania, who reported that the league was examining whether the foul was part of a deliberate attempt to influence the outcome.
Sacramento maintained from the outset that the play was a simple error.
According to Charania, citing team sources, Christie believed the Kings still had a foul to give and intended to stop the clock while preserving a timeout — one that would have been lost once the game clock dipped below the three-minute mark.
The league’s findings aligned with that explanation, bringing a swift end to the investigation.
Warriors Capitalize Late in Key Win
Despite the controversy, the Warriors took advantage of the situation and closed out the game behind timely execution in the final minutes.
The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for Golden State and kept the team in position as the regular season winds down.
For Sacramento, the loss added to late-season frustrations, while the unusual sequence ensured the game would draw league-wide attention even after the final buzzer.
Alder Almo is a veteran NBA reporter for Heavy.com, covering the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. He brings over 20 years of experience across local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Originally from the Philippines, he is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo
More Heavy on Warriors
Loading more stories