The NBA said Thursday that officials were correct in not calling a foul on Jarrett Allen in the closing seconds of regulation of Game 5 between the Cavaliers and Pistons in Detroit, according to the league’s Last Two Minutes Report. Cleveland went on to win 117-113 in overtime Wednesday night.
The no-call drew scrutiny because Allen made contact with Ausar Thompson as the Pistons guard pursued a loose ball. Thompson protested the decision during the game, and Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the loss that Allen “fouled Ausar — clearly. He tripped him when he was going for a loose ball,” per the report.
The Last Two Minutes Report disagreed with that assessment. “Allen and Thompson 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,” the report reads, concluding the officials were correct not to whistled a foul.
The report noted the potential impact: had a foul been called, Thompson would have gone to the free throw line with the score tied 103-103. Instead, Cleveland claimed a four-point victory in overtime — its first on the road this postseason — to take a 3-2 series lead.
After the game, crew chief Tony Brothers was asked why a foul wasn’t called and said, via the pool report, “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 added that the play would be reviewed by the league office and posted in the Last Two Minutes Report. Game 6 is Friday in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers can advance to the Eastern Conference finals and face the New York Knicks with a win.
