The Detroit Pistons, after taking a nine-point lead with 3:00 to go in Game 5 of their semifinal series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, melted down. They proceeded to allow the Cavs to score nine straight to tie the game, but in the end, Ausar Thompson at least salvaged an opportunity for the Pistons to win the game after clamping down Donovan Mitchell at the buzzer in regulation.
However, it did look as though Thompson, after rejecting a game-winning attempt from Mitchell, was on the receiving end of a foul from Cavs center Jarrett Allen — with Allen tripping Thompson over after the Pistons forward hauled in the rebound. The officials, however, swallowed their whistles and allowed the game to go to overtime without calling a foul on Allen, preventing Thompson from taking two free throws, which could have won the game for Detroit.
Jarrett Allen TRIPS Ausar Thompson RIGHT IN FRONT of Tony Brothers… no call 🤔 pic.twitter.com/iWXI0DA2Dp
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) May 14, 2026
In the end, Detroit was on the receiving end of a 117-113 defeat in overtime as the Cavs took a 3-2 series lead. While Thompson could blame the referees for giving the Pistons the short end of the stick, he said outright that he can't blame them. However, in the future, he at least wants to get the opportunity to have a discourse with the officials.
“Nah, they didn’t give a lot of explanations in general. Kind of just walked away. But that’s OK. Can’t blame the refs,” Thompson told reporters after the game, via 97.1 The Ticket.
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“Hopefully next time I’m able to have a more solid conversation.”
Did Ausar Thompson get an explanation from refs on non-call?
“Nah, they didn’t give a lot of explanations in general. Kind of just walked away. But that’s OK. Can’t blame the refs.”
“But hopefully next time I’m able to have a more solid conversation.” pic.twitter.com/ww35TsNRaD
— 97.1 The Ticket: (@971theticketxyt) May 14, 2026
It can be a bit frustrating for Pistons fans that it went down to the wire and a bang-bang play could end up deciding the fate of their season. But Detroit let go of the gas pedal and allowed Cleveland to come back, and they only have themselves to blame for that.
The series, of course, is far from over. The Pistons had their backs against the wall in the first round and they had to win three consecutive games against the Orlando Magic. This time around, they just need two to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Detroit Pistons, after taking a nine-point lead with 3:00 to go in Game 5 of their semifinal series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, melted down. They proceeded to allow the Cavs to score nine straight to tie the game, but in the end, Ausar Thompson at least salvaged an opportunity for the Pistons to win the game after clamping down Donovan Mitchell at the buzzer in regulation.