Refs explain no-call on Ausar Thompson trip in Pistons' Game 5 loss to Cavs

The Detroit Pistons may have been robbed of a chance to win a playoff game.

The 1-seed Pistons fell to the 4-seed Cavaliers 117-113 in overtime of Game 4 at Little Caesars Arena, and the end of the game didn't come without controversy. With the game tied at 103-103 and the Cavs having the ball, Pistons forward Ausar Thompson blocked a shot from Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell and lunged for the ball with under two seconds left. He then appeared to be tripped by Jarrett Allen, potentially drawing a foul and free throws that could have won the Pistons the game.

Instead, the referees swallowed their whistles, and the game headed to overtime after the no-call.

Referee Tony Brothers gave an explanation after the game for why no call was made.

"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," he said. "The play will be reviewed by the league office tomorrow and it will be posted in the L2M."

For his part, Thompson said the referees "didn't give a lot of explanations in general" about foul calls during the game, but also didn't blame the no-call for Detroit's loss.

"Can't blame the refs," he said. "We can't put ourselves in these positions."

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