The Athletic has live coverage of Cavaliers vs. Pistons in Game 7 of the 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals.
CLEVELAND — The Detroit Pistons have found something on defense over the last two games of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they nearly lost one of two key ingredients in the second quarter Friday.
With 8:04 left before halftime of the Pistons’ 115-94 win over Cleveland in Game 6, Detroit’s Ausar Thompson, who has been freed up to hound Donovan Mitchell defensively by the emergence of teammate Daniss Jenkins, was trying to fight through a screen set by Cleveland’s Sam Merrill. He initially appeared to have gone through Merrill, like a linebacker blowing up a blocking back, and then stepped over Merrill for effect.
But the officials immediately signaled for a video review to see if the foul on Thompson should be upgraded. The replays on the video board clearly showed Thompson’s left hand around Merrill’s neck as he threw him to the ground.
Lead referee Zach Zarba said Thompson’s left arm extended to Merrill’s head and neck area and “there was follow-through,” and he assessed Thompson a flagrant foul, penalty 1, which meant Thompson could stay in the game.
“I just felt like it was a moving screen (on Merrill),” Thompson said. “I was just hoping that whatever (the referees) decided, I was going to be able to keep playing.”
After the game, Zarba told a pool reporter the referees did see Thompson’s hand on Merrill’s neck but didn’t throw him out because the play was missing one of three criteria needed for an ejection.
“The criteria for a flagrant foul 2 would be windup, impact and follow-through,” Zarba said. “On this particular play, there was impact and follow-through, but there was no windup. It was unnecessary contact but also not excessive, so that’s why it wasn’t upgraded to a flagrant 2.”
Merrill, who turned 30 on Friday, said he didn’t realize Thompson’s hand had wrapped around his neck until he saw the replay. “I thought he just pushed me.”
In the moment, Cavs fans were outraged, with thousands chanting “Throw him out.” When that didn’t happen, the crowd booed Thompson lustily every time he checked into the game or touched the ball.
But afterward, the Cavs weren’t retroactively clamoring for an ejection.
“Maybe the replay showed he full-on grabbed my neck, but I didn’t feel like it was excessive,” Merrill said. “I wasn’t expecting an ejection.”
Cavs forward Evan Mobley: “You never know in this league, if it’s gonna be a flagrant or an ejection. I don’t know.”
Thompson finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and four steals and fouled out with 3:56 left in the game and the Pistons ahead by 15. For the first four games of this series, Detroit started Duncan Robinson on the wing opposite Thompson, which meant it had to choose how to deploy Thompson more carefully (guard Mitchell, check James Harden, disguise coverages?).
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff inserted Jenkins in place of Robinson for Game 5 (because Robinson was out with a bad back) and stuck with him for Game 6 with Robinson coming off the bench. In the last two games, Mitchell has shot 10 of 35 in regulation (not counting overtime in Game 5, when he scored 7 of his 21 points).
The Pistons were ahead by 12 when Thompson and Merrill collided, but the Cavs cut that lead to 3. Thompson’s remaining in the game was certainly not the only reason Detroit won in a blowout, but it was a factor.
Mobley finished with 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting in Game 6. As he spoke Friday night, a long scratch suffered during Game 5 that ran from above his left eye all the way down the side of his face was visible. It looked fresh, even though it was 2 days old.
He said he thought former Cleveland teammate and Pistons reserve guard Caris LeVert scratched him. Asked if his scratch and the Thompson play on Merrill were signs of the physicality in this series, he agreed and said, “This is how the series is going.”
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