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Steve Kerr Sends Clear Message on Refs After Warriors’ Game 3 Loss

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Parker Johnson | Last updated May 11, 2025 6:33 PM ET

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr came out of Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals with a strong opinion on the way the officials refereed the crushing home-court defeat.

The Minnesota Timberwolves went up 2-1 in the NBA playoff series with a 102-97 win after a late comeback sparked by 36 points from Anthony Edwards.

Playing without injured star Steph Curry, the Warriors got 63 combined points from Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga. However, Kerr's team could not get a stop when it mattered.

Defensive captain Draymond Green played only 29 minutes while battling foul trouble. He fouled out with four minutes, 38 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter after his treatment from crew chief Scott Foster and the rest of the officials sparked backlash on social media.

Kerr's words were not as strong immediately after the game, but he questioned the fourth foul — which Kerr challenged and lost — and sixth foul whistled on Green in the tight contest.

Given the impact of Green's ejection, it would have been easy for Kerr to pass the blame for the Game 3 loss onto the NBA officials. Instead, he took a clear stance on Sunday with a much different tone.

It wasn't a good game for Draymond Green

But his final three fouls completely changed the nature of the Warriors' Game 3 loss, especially the fourth foul pic.twitter.com/NqPGCiFlTY
— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) May 11, 2025

Warriors beat reporter Ohm Youngmisuk reported that Kerr thought Game 3 was "the best officiated game of late." Notably, it was Foster's second game back in charge after a long injury absence, and his first time officiating Golden State in the 2025 playoffs.

According to Youngmisuk, Kerr appreciated that Foster's crew "called things early to set a tone, it was a clean game and still allowed physicality."

Steve Kerr thought Game 3 was the best officiated game of late for him because the crew called things early to set a tone, it was a clean game and still allowed physicality.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) May 11, 2025

The referee assignments will be released Monday morning for Game 4 at Chase Center, for which the Warriors will still be missing Curry. The game begins at 10 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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