Pistons HC Calls Out 'Clear' Foul by Jarrett Allen Before OT in Pistons' Loss to Cavs

The Detroit Pistons lost Wednesday's Game 5 of their second-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime, but they could have won in regulation had Jarrett Allen been called for a foul on Ausar Thompson.

Thompson blocked Donovan Mitchell's shot attempt in the final seconds and gathered the ball before Allen knocked him over. Yet the officials didn't call a foul that would have led to free throws, and Cleveland ended up winning in overtime 117-113.

"He fouled Ausar," Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters. "It's clear. He trips him when he's going for a loose ball. End of game situation. That's tough."

Official Tony Brothers addressed the no-call in the pool report after the game and said, "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 added that a foul should not have been called because "there was incidental contact on the play.  The play will be reviewed by the league office tomorrow and it will be posted in the L2M."

Many Pistons players would surely be the first to say the game should have never come down to one potential missed call in the final seconds.

After all, Tobias Harris' three-pointer with three minutes remaining put the home team ahead by nine points. Detroit should have closed things out from there, especially against a Cavaliers team that had not yet won a road game in the playoffs.

Yet the Pistons didn't score another point in regulation.

Cavaliers-Pistons Highlights

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That kept the door ajar for the Cavaliers, and they kicked it down with Evan Mobley leading the way with a dunk, three-pointer and key free throws. Mitchell then took over in overtime, leaving the Detroit crowd stunned and Cleveland one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals.

Mitchell finished with 21 points, while James Harden stuffed the stat sheet with 30 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three blocks and one steal. Harden hit a number of important free throws as well, which kept the Cavaliers in striking range until they were able to make their final run.

As for Detroit, it wasted 39 points, nine assists and seven rebounds from Cade Cunningham, as Daniss Jenkins was the only other member of the team to score more than 13.

The Pistons can ultimately point to a number of reasons why they lost, but that won't make them feel any better about the missed call at the end of regulation. Had Allen been called for the foul, Thompson would have gone to the line with the chance to win it for the home team.

Now, Detroit has to figure out a way to win in Cleveland during Friday's Game 6 just to force a Game 7 on Sunday.

And the Cavaliers haven't lost at home during the entire postseason, so that is quite the daunting task.