The Cleveland Cavaliers emerged victorious on Thursday night after a 117-113 OT result against the Detroit Pistons in Game 5. Needless to say, this is a disappointing turn of events for the Pistons. However, during the postgame media availability, the media and the players were more bothered by a controversial no-call on Ausar Thompson in the closing seconds of regulation.
Thompson, who was clearly pursuing a loose ball, was seemingly tripped by Jarrett Allen. While the call itself is debatable, the questionable officiating throughout this series paved the way for some intriguing reactions from the Pistons’ players and coaching staff.
Jarrett Allen clearly tripped Ausar bro smhpic.twitter.com/GYC4OAAi9n
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) May 14, 2026
While discussing the no-call during his postgame press conference, Pistons superstar Cade Cunningham (39 PTS, 7 REB, 9 AST, 2 STL) didn’t mince his words while criticizing the officials.
“We all saw the play. I think it’s pretty clear it was a foul,” Cunningham stated. “He (Ausar) has the ball in his possession. He’s running forward. He gets tripped up. It’s a foul, it’s been a foul the whole rest of the game. Wasn’t a foul that time.”
“Close game. I mean, nobody wants to make that call, I guess,” he added. “Everybody wants to let a lot of games sort itself out. So, nobody wants to interfere whenever it should have been a foul.”
As critical as Cunningham was of the officials for turning a blind eye to the play, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was equally convinced that the play was a foul.
“He (Allen) fouled Ausar. I mean, it’s clear. He trips him when he’s going for a loose ball. In a game situation, that’s tough,” Bickerstaff commented.
Bickerstaff’s reaction may seem muted when compared to Cunningham’s, but it also reflects a deep disappointment with the state of officiating in this series. On that note, even Pistons guard Daniss Jenkins (19 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST) shared a similar reaction when asked about the no-call. He shared:
“I mean, we’re the Pistons. We knew. We don’t expect that. We knew it was a foul, but we didn’t expect it. That didn’t linger into overtime. We were just trying to come out and execute plays. Like I said, we just didn’t execute well enough.”
Pistons center Paul Reed (10 PTS, 8 REB, 2 BLK) had a similar reaction to the no-call, as he highlighted that it was a common mistake made by officials, and it shouldn’t have a bigger impact on the game.
“He got tripped. They didn’t call it. Referees don’t call a lot of calls, so it’s not like that’s the make-or-break call to win or lose the game,” Reed stated. “It was just another play that the refs missed. They miss a lot of calls, so it’s nothing new.”
While addressing the missed call, Jenkins noted that the flaw ultimately lay in Detroit’s inability to execute in OT. Given that the Pistons shot 4-10 in the final period and were outscored 14-10, Jenkins makes a solid point.
After the game, the player directly involved in the play, Ausar Thompson (6 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST, 4 STL), revealed that not only did he not receive a foul call, but he did not receive a proper explanation from the officials.
“Nah, they didn’t give a lot of explanations in general,” Thompson shared. “Kind of just walked away. But that’s OK. Can’t blame the refs. We can’t put ourselves in those positions, but hopefully, next time we’re able to have a more solid conversation.”
As jarring as this is, it isn’t uncommon. Many officials are not open to having a conversation after the whistle is blown, and given the context of the play, further engagement may have escalated matters. Hence, it was only after the official pool report from the game was released that players and fans received a clearer explanation behind the supposed no-call.
“During live play, both players were going for the ball, and there was incidental contact with the legs with no player having possession of the ball,” Tony Brothers reported.
However, when asked whether a foul should have been called, Brothers replied:
“No, there was incidental contact on the play. The play will be reviewed by the league office tomorrow, and it will be posted in the L2M.”
Needless to say, Brothers’ response to whether the play was a foul or not will certainly sting Detroit. Considering that the Pistons would have had a chance to put the game away with a pair of free throws, there will undoubtedly be ample frustration with the officials once the L2M (Last Two Minutes Report) is released.
Regardless, the outcome remains unchanged. With this win, the Cavaliers successfully broke the deadlock by stealing a road win, securing a 3-2 lead in the series. With the Pistons facing elimination in Game 6 in Cleveland, the team must rally to keep its postseason run alive.
