The Golden State Warriors registered their third loss on the trot when they were defeated by the Chicago Bulls 130-124 in overtime. However, some of the blame has fallen on Draymond Green, who committed a foul on Bulls’ Jalen Smith with less than 1.4 seconds left in regulation time.

With the score 118-116, Smith ended up converting both of the resultant free throws, which tied the game before the Bulls went 12-6 in overtime to land the win. Speaking post-game, head coach Steve Kerr confirmed that Green had indeed fouled Smith before taking on some of the blame.

“It was a foul. I watched the replay and uh you know, I’m sure he’d like to have that one back. He just got his hand in the wrong spot, and you know, it would have been a tough shot,” he said per a post on X by ClutchPoints' Kenzo Fukuda. Green then claimed that Green’s lack of minutes towards the end may have played a part.

Article Continues Below

“He was in a tough spot. He didn’t play the whole fourth quarter and then I throw him out there for a couple of defensive possessions because I know how good he is on that end. But you know, he wasn’t exactly loose and in the flow. I’m sure that didn’t help matters,” he said.

Smith had positioned himself with one foot on the three-point line, meaning the Bulls would only have been attempting a potential game-tying two-point shot, not a three-pointer. By initiating contact before Smith could even attempt the shot, Green handed Chicago two free throws.

The Bulls were led by rookie standout Matas Buzelis, who delivered a dominant 41-point performance on 16-of-28 shooting, while guard Josh Giddey posted a triple-double with 21 points, 17 assists, and 13 rebounds. The Warriors, meanwhile, were paced by balanced scoring with Gui Santos, Kristaps Porziņģis, LJ Cryer, and Pat Spencer each scoring 17 points.

They have now gone 32-33 for the season and will hope to end the skid against the Minnesota Timberwolves.