Kings Under Investigation After Suspicious Foul Against Warriors

The NBA has opened an investigation following a highly surprising play during the Sacramento Kings‘ loss to the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night (110-105). With 3 minutes and 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and Sacramento leading by one point (101-100), guard Doug McDermott deliberately fouled Seth Curry, even though neither player was near the ball.

The play immediately sparked reactions, with many viewing it as a deliberate tanking move to allow the Warriors to regain the lead from the free-throw line. Curry, a career 86.4% free-throw shooter, converted one of his two attempts to tie the game at 101.

Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie instructed his team to intentionally foul Seth Curry with three minutes left in a one-point game.

Sacramento fell to Golden State, 110-105.

Thoughts? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/t2jFzUiCUV

— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) April 8, 2026

Doug Christie Cites a Strategic Mistake

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reported the story Wednesday on « NBA Today, » the league is now reviewing the play, with Sacramento claiming it was simply a mistake by head coach Doug Christie.

« I’m told the NBA is investigating this situation, this foul that occurred with just over three minutes remaining in the game on Seth Curry, but sources with the Kings tell me that Doug Christie simply made a mistake, a strategic error, » Charania said. « He thought he had a foul to give with more than three minutes left to get a free timeout. That’s the rule if you have more than three minutes remaining — he thought he had a foul to give. He did not have a foul to give. »

Warriors big man Draymond Green, who was on the court when the play occurred, made no secret of his astonishment after the game. « I saw a team tonight foul Seth Curry with three minutes left in a game for no reason, » Green said.

Following the foul, Golden State closed out the game on a 10-4 run, handing the Kings their 59th loss of the 2025-2026 season. Sacramento now sits at 21-59, tied with the Jazz for the fourth-worst record in the league, keeping them in a favorable position for a high pick in the upcoming draft.

Despite the tanking suspicions hanging over the end of their season, sources within the organization insist that the coaches and players on the floor intended to win Tuesday night’s game, and that the late foul was strictly a tactical error.

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