The Golden State Warriors were eliminated from the 2024 NBA Cup with a shocking 91-90 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, and head coach Steve Kerr was not happy with the foul call in the final seconds that ultimately proved to be the difference.

Jonathan Kuminga was called for a foul with 3.5 seconds remaining as he and Jalen Green went to the floor fighting for a loose ball after Gary Payton II turned it over with Golden State nursing a one-point lead.

Green made the ensuing free throws to give the Rockets the lead for good.

“I’m pissed off,” Kerr said, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “I wanted to go to Las Vegas. We wanted to win this Cup, and we aren’t going because of a loose ball foul, 80 feet from the basket with the game on the line. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, and that was ridiculous.”

Golden State still had an opportunity to win it on the final possession, but Jabari Smith Jr. blocked a Brandin Podziemski three-pointer after Houston prevented Stephen Curry from getting open.

But Kerr was still focused on the foul call.

“I’ve never seen a loose ball foul on a jump ball situation, 80 feet from the basket with the game on the line,” he said. “I’ve never seen that. I think I saw it in college one time 30 years ago. Never seen it in the NBA. That is, I mean, unconscionable. I don’t even understand what just happened. Loose ball, diving on the floor, 80 feet from the basket, and you’re going to give a guy two free throws to decide the game when people are scrambling for the ball. Just give them a timeout and let the players decide the game. That’s how you officiate. Especially because the game was a complete wrestling match. They didn’t call anything.

“So you’ve established you’re just not going to call anything throughout the game. It’s a physical game. And call a loose ball foul on a jump ball situation with guys diving on the floor? With the game on the line? This is a billion-dollar industry. You got people’s jobs on the line.”

He wasn’t the only one who was confused by the situation.

“I haven’t seen the replay, but … if you’re telling me it was a clear foul, I’ll shut up, but I don’t think that’s the case,” Curry said. “Was it? There’s indecision in the group, so that means then let the game play out and let us decide it and not two free throws, 90 feet from the basket.”

But Curry also pointed out the whistle wasn’t the reason the Warriors lost.

They had a six-point lead in the final two minutes but allowed a Fred VanVleet three and Alperen Şengün basket during a sequence that also featured a Draymond Green turnover. That closed the gap to one, and Curry missed a three-pointer before Payton’s turnover that would have all but clinched the result.

In fact, Golden State didn’t score a single point in the final three minutes of the contest. It’s last field goal came with 3:38 remaining when Kuminga hit a three-pointer.

It was a fitting finish since it managed just 37 points in the first half and struggled with turnovers right out of the gate.

As a result, the Warriors saw their 15-game winning streak against the Rockets come to an end. And Houston clinched a spot in the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas, where it will face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.