NBA referees admit mistake, reveal what Steve Kerr shouted in ejection vs. Clippers

INGLEWOOD, CA — The Golden State Warriors lost a tightly-contested game against the LA Clippers on Monday night, and there were no shortage of fireworks in the process. Head coach Steve Kerr was ejected from the game with 7:57 remaining in the fourth quarter of a seven point game.

Kerr’s ejection came following back-to-back technical fouls earned for screaming at the officials for what he and the Warriors believed to be a missed goaltending call. Gary Payton went up for a layup, but saw it blocked by John Collins. No whistle came, and the Clippers began their transition opportunity as an irate Kerr jumped up and down the sideline towards the Clipper side of the court.

Steve Kerr gets ejected following an argument over a no-call on goaltending.

Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/H3CoJrnepS

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 6, 2026

Kerr was quickly ejected with two technical fouls, but it did appear to fuel the Warriors, who had a chance to win at the buzzer, but saw Jimmy Butler’s baseline fadeaway miss the target.

After the game, Crew Chief Brian Forte spoke with ClutchPoints as part of the NBA’s pool report interview to break down the incident and what led to Kerr’s ejection.

Tomer Azarly: What did Steve Kerr say to warrant the first and then the second technical fouls that led to his ejection?

Brian Forte: For the first technical foul, Coach Kerr aggressively approached the official while shouting profanities. After the first technical was called, he continued shouting profanities while being held back by his assistant coach. And led to the second technical foul.

Tomer Azarly: It appeared as though an uncalled goaltending is what led to Kerr’s frustrations. Was that correctly uncalled and could that play have been whistled in order to trigger a review?

Brian Forte: The shot by [Gary]Payton hit the backboard prior to being touched by Collins. It should have been ruled a goaltending violation. The only way it could have been reviewed was if it was called on the floor and the Clippers challenged the call, because it did not occur in the last two minutes of the game.

Tomer Azarly: Only in the last two minutes is where you can trigger the automatic review?

Brian Forte: That is correct.

Tomer Azarly: Why was Stephen Curry not given continuation on his made floater a few plays prior in the 4th quarter?

Brian Forte: Curry was grabbed around the hip by [John] Collins prior to the gather. And this was correctly ruled a non-shooting foul.

https://x.com/TomerAzarly/status/2008425814019489961?s=20

This was the floater Stephen Curry threw up that went in, and then was wiped away due to the foul occurring on the floor before the shot.

Another Steph Curry circus shot not counted pic.twitter.com/26zotu9cMB

— aly ✶ (@jinthirty) January 6, 2026

Kerr did not speak to media after the game, with assistant coach Terry Stotts taking on the job and kickstarting his interview with a joke.

“I’m up here because I’m saving Steve [Kerr] some money,” Stotts laughed. “That’s the only reason I’m here. I think it was that goaltending call that was missed [that set Kerr off]. There were probably some other things, but that was the last straw probably.”

Terry Stotts is doing Steve Kerr’s normal postgame press conference “to save him money.”

Kerr was ejected in the fourth quarter pic.twitter.com/LO2u1HCrgh

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 6, 2026

Stephen Curry would go on to foul out of the game, finishing with 27 points, four rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Jimmy Butler added 24 points, six rebounds, two assists, and four steals, while Draymond Green added six points, five rebounds, 12 assists, and two steals.

The Clippers were led by 24 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks from Kawhi Leonard. Rookie Kobe Sanders continued his strong campaign, scoring a career-high 20 points with seven rebounds and three assists while shooting 9-of-16 from the field. Five Clippers reached double-figure scoring, with Jordan Miller scoring nine points off the bench.

With the loss, Golden State dropped to 19-18 on the season and just 8-13 on the road. The Warriors will now return home for an eight-game homestand and a chance to get back on track in front of their Bay Area fans.

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