Why are Rockets not being called for hitting Curry's thumb? NBA rules explained.

Michael Nowels, Bay Area News Group on May 1, 2025

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Coach Steve Kerr and other Warriors voices on Wednesday night highlighted a trend of Rockets defenders hitting Steph Curry’s injured right thumb.

The gamesmanship was a major talking point after Golden State’s 131-116 loss in Game 5 in Houston, where Kerr made the shrewd decision to pull his starters early as the Warriors trailed by as many as 31 points.

Focusing on the thumb injury may also have been a tactical move to draw attention to the issue ahead of a crucial Game 6 Friday in San Francisco (6 p.m., ESPN), but Kerr himself admitted that it is not a foul to simply hit a player on the hand after he takes a shot.

This is commonly known as the “high-five rule” and is explained in the NBA’s video rulebook, with an example showing a defender slapping the shooting hand of a player during his follow-through: “Because the contact was incidental, and it occurred after the release of the shot, no foul would be assessed on this play.”

The Warriors’ broadcast picked up on the trend and pointed it out early in Game 5 as Alperen Sengun swatted Curry’s hand following a 3-point attempt. Warriors antagonist Dillon Brooks did not deny that he intended to hit Curry’s injured thumb.

Defensive contact with the offensive player’s hand is also allowed when the hand is in contact with the ball, according to the NBA’s rulebook.

Defenders may not hit the arm or hand of an offensive player who is in the shooting motion, though. The video rulebook highlights an example of this foul, too, specifying that “the act of shooting begins after the offensive player has both gathered the ball and started his upward motion to shoot.”

Once the ball has left the shooter’s hand, contact to the hand is fair game.

Kerr said he expects the league will change that rule this summer.

“Players all over the league are just taking shots at guys’ shooting hands after release because they know it’s not going to be a foul,” Kerr said. “I’m very confident that next year the league will fix it.”

His emphasis on the matter may push the league that way and will likely cause the officials in Friday night’s Game 6 to keep an eye on the issue at hand.