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Tag: Ausar Thompson

  • J.B. Bickerstaff Unloads on Refs After Pistons’ OT Loss: ‘That’s Not Objective’

    The Detroit Pistons walked off the floor Thursday night frustrated, and their head coach wasn’t shy about explaining why.

    Following Detroit’s 116–114 overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff delivered one of his most pointed postgame press conferences of the season, blasting what he viewed as biased and uneven officiating that altered the flow of a tightly contested game.

    Detroit was hit with four technical fouls, while Dallas received none. Two of those techs resulted in Ausar Thompson’s first career ejection, while Cade Cunningham and Bickerstaff himself were also whistled.

    And from Bickerstaff’s perspective, it started before the ball was even tipped.

    “First of all, let’s address that,” Bickerstaff said when asked about the officiating (via Detroit Free Press). “A referee makes a comment to me about night-by-night, this is how our interactions are. That says to me that the referee is coming into the game not being objective, OK?”

    Bickerstaff Questions Referee’s Objectivity

    Bickerstaff explained that his own technical foul came while he was attempting to defuse a situation, not escalate it.

    “You look at the play, that same referee at halftime, I get my technical foul, I don’t say anything to him,” Bickerstaff said. “I go to grab Cade to get Cade off the floor. He gives me a technical foul. That’s my job — to get my player away from the ref and get us back to halftime so we can have the conversations that we need to have.”

    The most controversial moment came earlier, when Thompson was ejected after arguing a call under the basket.

    NBA rules state a player is automatically ejected if they initiate contact with an official. Bickerstaff strongly disagreed with how that interaction was interpreted.

    “The same referee who came into the game who’s not objective and then he goes out and makes those calls,” Bickerstaff said. “If you take a look at the play where he ejects AT, he steps toward AT. That’s where the minimal contact happens — where he steps towards him and initiates it.”

    ‘This Game Wasn’t About the Referees — Until It Was’

    Despite his frustration, Bickerstaff tried to separate his criticism from the players on the floor.

    “To me — and I want to make this clear — this game is not about the referees,” he said.
    “This was a highly contested game by two really competitive teams and guys who laid it out on the line.”

    But he followed that with a blunt assessment of what he felt went wrong.

    “You had one guy who wanted to make the game about the referees when that’s not what this should’ve been,” Bickerstaff continued. “Anybody who comes into the game and says ‘night-by-night,’ he clearly has an unobjective point of view.”

    Bickerstaff emphasized that the Pistons understand how they play — physical, aggressive, and right on the edge.

    “We don’t care about how people referee us. We’re going to play physical, we walk that line,” he said.
    “But all we’re asking for is fairness.”

    Missed Timeout Seals the Frustration

    The final flashpoint came in overtime.

    With Detroit down two in the final seconds, Jalen Duren grabbed back-to-back offensive rebounds. Bickerstaff said he immediately called timeout — and never got it.

    “JD got the offensive board, I called timeout,” Bickerstaff said. “That same referee is standing next to me, does not award me the timeout.”

    Moments later, Dallas was granted a timeout with 0.9 seconds left, a sequence that left the Pistons with no real chance to respond.

    The Bigger Picture

    Detroit finished the game with 20 free-throw attempts compared to Dallas’ 36, a disparity that only fueled the postgame tension.

    For Bickerstaff, the issue wasn’t about favoritism — it was about trust.

    And Thursday night, that trust was clearly shaken.

    Jeff Bilbrey

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  • Atlanta Hawks lose a ‘tough test’ to Detroit Pistons 120-112

    A pair of free throws from Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander Walker (at line) cut the Piston lead to four points with just under two minutes remaining in the game. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    On Tuesday night, the Atlanta Hawks hosted the Detroit Pistons, the Eastern Conference’s best team. They lost, but might have learned some valuable lessons along the way. Final score: 120-112.

    Earlier that afternoon, The Atlanta Voice asked what kind of test playing the Pistons would be this early in the season. Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, said it would be much more than just another regular-season game.

    The Atlanta Hawks and forward Jalen Johnson (above) are on a five-game win streak. Tuesday night’s game against the Detroit Pistons at State Farm Arena is more just a regular season game, says Johnson. ” Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    “I think it’s going to be a good test. They are a great team; they have been hot. We just have to come in with a chip on our shoulder.”

    Johnson averaged 24 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, and two steals during the four games he played last week. He said the Hawks have been playing well lately, but needed to continue building on the things that have helped them achieve a five-game win streak. That starts again tonight.

    “It’s a new game tonight, we have to protect home court,” Johnson said.

    Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, second in the league in steals (2.3) behind Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (2.4), brother of Hawks reserve point guard Keaton Wallace, was looking forward to a rare early-season big game. 

    Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (above) said games like the one against Detroit on Tuesday night were what good teams want to be a part of. “These are the games you want to play,” he said. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    “These are the games you want to play,” said Daniels. “It’s going to be a tough test, but we’re up for it. The guys are ready to go.” 

    Daniels and Johnson were correct; it was a tough test. Detroit went ahead early and, other than two ties in the second quarter, maintained a lead throughout the first half. Piston star guard and an early All-NBA candidate, Cade Cunningham, was averaging 27.5 points per game coming into the contest. Cunningham was held to four points late in the first half before scoring the Pistons’ final six points of the half. 

    Midway through the third quarter, the Hawks would seize some of the momentum, cutting the Pistons’ lead to five points on a three-pointer from Onyeka Okongwu. Cunningham scored four straight points and found his teammates, mainly forward Jalen Duran, for layups. 

    With a minute remaining in the third quarter, Atlanta gave up four unanswered points to Pistons reserves to go down 94-78. Four consecutive points from Johnson cut the Pistons’ lead to 12 points, 94-82, at the end of the quarter.

    The fourth quarter began with the home team slicing Detroit’s lead to eight points after Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Okongwu scored five unanswered points. A Daniels floater brought the crowd to its feet, and a tip-in by Mouhamed Gueye on the following possession made the score 97-93 with eight minutes to play. Daniels hit another floater in the late to bring Atlanta within a point, 99-98, and force a Pistons timeout. Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young could be seen cheering his teammates on from the bench. Young is expected to be out through November.

    Consecutive Atlanta turnovers gave Detroit time to get its act together and extend its lead to six points with less than five minutes to play. A dunk down the middle of the lane by former OTE star Ausar Thompson was one of the Pistons’ second-half highlights.

    With the score 108-104 and just under two minutes on the clock, Alexander-Walker drove to the basket and drew a foul. He made both free throws to pull Atlanta to within two points for the first time since the game began.

    Atlanta wouldn’t seriously threaten Detroit again.

    The Hawks, now 9-6 overall and 7-2 on the road this season, will play consecutive road games before returning to State Farm Arena to host the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. Atlanta will travel to San Antonio to play the Spurs on Thursday and the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday. Ironincally, that will be the same weekend the Atlanta Hawks will play the New Orleans Saints in the Caesars Superdome in what has been deemed a must-win-or-else game for head coach Raheem Morris. 

    Donnell Suggs

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