In Detroit, Game 5 of the Pistons-Cavaliers series boiled over into overtime where Cleveland beat Detroit 117-113, and the final seconds of regulation — featuring Donovan Mitchell, Ausar Thompson and Jarrett Allen — became the focal point of postgame heat from players and coach JB Bickerstaff as Detroit fans and teammates questioned a crucial no-call.

Game 5 in a tied NBA playoff series always spikes the adrenaline, and Wednesday night in Detroit delivered that and more. The Cavs escaped in overtime, but the final regulation sequence — a scramble for a loose ball as the clock expired — stole the headlines. That moment left Pistons players and fans convinced a missed whistle changed the game’s immediate destiny.

Donovan Mitchell had the ball on the final possession and got stripped as he drove, which set up Ausar Thompson chasing a loose ball down the floor. As Thompson reached for it, Jarrett Allen collided with him and Thompson went down, and because Detroit was in the bonus he would have gone to the line for what could have been game-winning free throws. Officials chose not to call a foul, and the game pushed into overtime where Cleveland prevailed.

Should this have been a foul? Watch the play yourself:

AUSAR THOMPSON WITH THE BLOCK 😮

WE ARE HEADED TO OT IN DETROIT ON ESPN. pic.twitter.com/7Ezdb0lgbM

— NBA (@NBA) May 14, 2026

Here’s another look at the play:

Detroit’s sideline and social feeds lit up immediately after the no-call, and the team publicly flagged the play as decisive in postgame comments. Coach JB Bickerstaff didn’t hold back, saying, “He fouled Ausar. It was clear. He tripped him going for a loose ball.” That line landed hard in a city that felt the game slipped away in those final seconds.

Cade Cunningham echoed his coach’s take, siding with Thompson and the idea that the contact warranted a whistle at the buzzer. His reaction added to the chorus of players questioning where the officials drew the line in that split-second play. Detroit’s belief that the no-call changed the outcome is understandable, given the stakes and how free throws at the buzzer would have sealed the result.

Even unbiased media members like . I’m sorry, but I can’t agree. From where I watched, this sequence looked like two players going all-out for a loose ball in the closing tenths of a second. Falling alone doesn’t automatically equal a foul; it can be incidental contact or even a flop in desperate situations, and the clock left no room for a clean catch-and-shoot play anyway.

There were other calls and non-calls during the game that stirred debate, including a defensive foul that had Pistons fans asking, How the heck is this a defensive foul?

Still, the argument that refs should determine a Game 5 outcome because someone fell chasing a loose ball 70 feet from the rim doesn’t sit well for many. Playoff basketball should come down to plays made and mistakes absorbed over the course of the game, not a split-second whistle that could be interpreted multiple ways. Detroit had an overtime window to respond and couldn’t finish the job, which ultimately decided the night.

This loss leaves the Pistons needing a road victory to stay alive and force a Game 7, a heavy ask against a steady Cavs squad. Detroit’s run so far has been a surprise to many — they even escaped a first-round scare when they were down 3-1 to the Orlando Magic after Franz Wagner went down injured — and that context matters when assessing how far this roster has come. The series is still alive, and Detroit’s next step is simple: win on the road and make Cleveland earn every possession.