As the Golden State Warriors faced off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, the matchup was competitive throughout. However, one moment drew the most attention: a controversial call on Warriors superstar Stephen Curry caused outrage across Dub Nation.

The sequence occurred in the third quarter, with 6:40 left on the clock. Wolves forward Jaden McDaniels set a screen, and Curry tried to move through it, causing a small back-and-forth that ended with Curry on the ground after what looked like a push from McDaniels.

In a stunning display of officiating incompetence, referees called a foul on Stephen Curry despite Jaden McDaniels clearly yanking the Warriors star to the floor during a positioning battle.

Curry’s shocked reaction—mirrored by his teammates, the Chase Center crowd, and even broadcasters—”Did they call that on Steph Curry?” Timberwolves announcer Michael Grady said on the broadcast. “I thought Jaden yanked Steph Curry to the ground,” highlighted one of the worst calls of the 2025-26 season, sparking immediate outrage from Dub Nation and calls for greater accountability in NBA reffing.

Despite Curry exploding for a game-high 39 points on efficient shooting, plus five rebounds and five assists, the Warriors lost. Meanwhile, Jaden McDaniels contributed a solid 17 points, five rebounds, five assists, and a steal for the Wolves.

The Warriors’ late rally—capped by a Curry three for a brief 115-114 lead—fell short when Donte DiVincenzo buried a dagger three-pointer for a five-point advantage with 28 seconds left.

Golden State outshot Minnesota from beyond the arc but couldn’t overcome the Wolves’ superior overall efficiency (54% FG vs. 46%).

The call on Curry loomed large in the back-and-forth affair, leaving fans wondering if a correct no-call might have preserved momentum for the home team in their heartbreaking defeat.

It was clear that this wasn’t just a case of fans’ bias towards the Warriors, but an all-around questionable call from the officials, such that even the opposing team seemed puzzled by the outcome.

The Whistle on Stephen Curry Against Timberwolves Has Fans Questioning Everything

Frustration spilled over immediately after the whistle rang out against Stephen Curry tonight. Many fans didn’t see the call as a one-off mistake, but a continued pattern.

“Most disrespected superstar whistle in the league,” one fan wrote.

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It’s a familiar complaint. Curry, being a jump-shot-oriented, perimeter-centric player, usually doesn’t draw many fouls because of his propensity to find open shots.

This leads many fans to believe that Curry doesn’t get the same benefit of the doubt as other elite players, which makes every missed call look even worse.

That anger quickly went beyond the officials. Some fans turned their attention to the Warriors bench, with one fan writing:

“Terrible and the damn coaching staff sucks too for not challenging it.”

The call looked bad enough that both commentating squads called attention to it, yet none of the coaching staff stepped in to call for a challenge, potentially missing the chance to mitigate any damage.

Others framed the moment through a more sarcastic lens, suggesting the exchange had more to do with frustration than the NBA rulebook.

“Curry cooking McDaniels he’s mad af 💀,” one user joked.

It implied that frustration might have played a role in the exchange, especially considering that Curry was on fire the whole night. In the first three quarters, the guard had scored 25, despite having McDaniels draped all over him.

As the replay circulated, the criticism of the officials kept intensifying. Observers openly questioned their competence, with one comment reading:

“Ref at the local rec center coulda made this call 🧐.”

It showed how obvious the mistake looked, and how any sort of replay made it clear that the foul should’ve been on McDaniels.

Finally, the outcry also increased on McDaniels, with fans arguing that the foul was more severe than a common call.

“Flagrant,” one reaction stated.

Most people would agree that this foul would meet the criteria for at least a flagrant 1 foul: excessive contact. Unfortunately, the controversy remains unresolved, adding yet another chapter to the long story of officiating consistency.