The Golden State Warriors’ narrow 99-98 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night had all the ingredients of a classic - grit, drama, and yes, controversy. And while the box score shows a one-point defeat, the final moments of this game are what fans will be talking about for a while.
Let’s start with the play that reignited an old rivalry. Midway through the comeback push, longtime Warriors nemesis Dillon Brooks got tangled up with Steph Curry and delivered what looked like a shot to the stomach.
Officials reviewed the play and assessed Brooks a Flagrant 1 foul - a decision that raised eyebrows. There was a case to be made for a Flagrant 2, which would’ve meant an ejection, but the league opted for the lesser penalty.
Still, it gave Golden State a spark and a chance to claw back into the game.
But the real drama came in the final seconds.
With the game tied and less than a second on the clock, Brooks missed a go-ahead shot. As players scrambled for the rebound, Moses Moody was whistled for a loose ball foul on Jordan Goodwin - a call that came with just 0.4 seconds left.
That whistle sent Goodwin to the line with a chance to win it. He missed the first, adding a little suspense, but calmly knocked down the second, sealing the Suns’ one-point victory.
The next morning, the NBA released its Last Two Minute Report - the league’s standard postgame review of all calls and non-calls in the final 120 seconds of close games. The Moody foul?
Upheld. The league deemed it the correct call.
Here’s the official language from the report:
“Although Moody (GSW) makes contact to the ball, he also makes more than marginal contact to Goodwin’s (PHX) head/neck area and to his arm. After communicating with the Replay Center, it is determined that the foul occurs with 0.4 seconds remaining on the game clock.”
By the rulebook, it’s hard to argue. The contact was there, and the timing was confirmed. But that doesn’t mean the decision wasn’t controversial.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr voiced what a lot of fans were thinking - that kind of call, in that moment, is rare. Not because it’s technically incorrect, but because late-game officiating often leans toward letting players decide the outcome.
Goodwin was in no position to get a shot off with 0.4 seconds left, so the foul didn’t prevent a scoring attempt. Yet, it handed Phoenix the win.
The league, for its part, isn’t in the business of weighing “feel” or “moment” - it sticks to the rulebook. And in this case, the rulebook won.
In total, the NBA reviewed 14 calls and non-calls in the final two minutes of the game. All 14 were deemed correct.
Still, for the Warriors, it’s a tough pill to swallow. They battled back, fought through physical play, and had the game tied in the final second - only to lose it at the free throw line on a call that, while technically correct, felt out of step with how late-game moments are usually handled.
That’s the razor-thin margin in the NBA. One whistle, one free throw, one second - and the game flips.