The Detroit Pistons are vastly improved over last season’s team, which compiled one of the 10 worst seasons in NBA history at 14-68.
However, the Pistons aren’t quite good enough to defeat the NBA’s best teams consistently, as demonstrated by their 113-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night.
Following the game, Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff was fuming. In his view, the Pistons didn’t just have to contend with the second-best team in the NBA on Saturday. They also had to battle the officials.
“What you saw tonight was disgusting,” Bickerstaff said. “It was a disgusting display of disrespect towards our guys and what we’re trying to do.”
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Bickerstaff’s voice shook as he ranted about the officiating, pounding the table before leaving his postgame press conference.
“I tried to have a conversation with an official, the official is arguing with [Thunder coach] Mark [Daigneault], I say his name one time and he screams at me and tells me that’s enough,” Bickerstaff said.
“We understand that we play a style of ball that’s physical, it’s on the edge. I coach my ass off in a passionate way, I’m into the game, our players are into the game. We understand that. But we deserve a level of respect because we’re competing our tails off and bringing something positive to this league.”
Beginning at the seven-minute mark of the third quarter, Detroit was whistled for five technical fouls. Ausar Thompson and Bickerstaff first picked up technicals. Then with 47 seconds remaining in the frame, Cade Cunningham was called for two technicals for arguing with the officials and was ejected from the game. (Dennis Schröder also picked up a tech, sandwiched between Cunningham’s.)
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After the flurry of technicals and Cunningham’s ejection, the Thunder expanded their lead to 91-75 by the end of the third. Despite their All-Star’s absence, the Pistons twice cut the margin to one point on 3-pointers by Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr.
But with under three minutes remaining, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made two consecutive baskets to restore the Thunder’s lead to 106-100. Cason Wallace then effectively put the win away, hitting a 3 with 1:33 remaining.
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Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 48 points, his 12th game reaching 40 or more this season and nearly his fifth 50-point performance. He shot 4-of-6 on 3-pointers and 10-for-10 on free throws to lead the Thunder to their 55th win of the 2024-25 campaign and boost his case for NBA MVP.
Asked by the pool reporter about ejecting Cunningham, crew chief Brian Forte said the technicals resulted from how he spoke to officials.
“Cunningham was given his first technical foul for disrespectfully addressing an official with profanity,” Forte said, via the AP. “After the free throw for the first technical was shot, Cade continued to use profanity toward the official and received his second technical foul and was ejected.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said in his postgame remarks that the “crew was the loosest whistle coming into the game that we’ve seen all season in terms of how little they call.”
Despite the loss, the Pistons hold the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference standings at 37-31 and could move up to fifth or even fourth place.
