It looked like a foul at the end of regulation: Ausar Thompson stripped Donovan Mitchell before Mitchell could get a shot off, leading to a loose ball, and in the scramble to get it, 30 feet from the basket, Jarrett Allen collides with Thompson. It looks like a foul on Allen. Crew Chief Tony Brothers is standing feet away and chooses not to blow his whistle.
The NBA backed up Brothers in its Last Two Minute report, saying he made a “correct no call.” From the report:
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Allen (CLE) and Thompson (DET) legally step to the same spot while pursuing the loose ball [before either player has possession], and both lose their balance from the marginal contact.
That echoes what Brother’s said after the game.
“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,” Brothers told a pool reporter.
That’s not how Pistons’ coach J.B. Bickerstaff saw it.
“He fouled Ausar. Clear. He trips him when he’s going for a loose ball. In any game situation, that’s tough,” Bickerstaff said.
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Cleveland had come from nine points down in the final three minutes and, after that play, the game went to overtime, where the Cavaliers prevailed 117-113. Cleveland leads the series 3-2 and can close it out on their home floor Friday night.
