The Detroit Pistons continued to show their transformation from a lottery team into a legitimate contender, battling on the road against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night. Detroit erased an 18-point second-half deficit to force overtime but ultimately came up just short in a 116–114 loss.
Despite the gritty comeback, the game was overshadowed by controversial officiating that left both teams frustrated at different points. No one, however, was more furious than Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who went as far as alleging that crew chief John Goble entered the game with a bias against Detroit.
J.B. Bickerstaff Calls Out Officiating Bias Against Pistons After OT Loss
Detroit was hit with three technical fouls on the night, with forward Ausar Thompson being ejected following a heated second-quarter sequence. Thompson became entangled in a physical battle for a rebound with Dallas guard Ryan Nembhard and was whistled for a foul.
When Thompson turned to argue the call with Goble, he appeared to make brief contact with the official and was immediately ejected.
Bickerstaff, however, strongly disputed that account postgame, insisting it was Goble who initiated the contact by stepping toward Thompson. “That’s where the minimal contact happens, where he steps toward him and initiates it,” Bickerstaff said.
Tensions continued to rise as Bickerstaff himself was assessed a technical foul just seconds after the halftime buzzer for what Goble described as “continuous complaining.” Cade Cunningham had already received a technical with 24 seconds remaining in the second quarter, and Bickerstaff said he was merely attempting to pull his player away from the officials.
“A referee makes a comment to me about, ‘night by night, this is how our interactions are.’ So that says to me that the referee is coming into the game not being objective.
“That same referee, at halftime, I get my technical foul. I don’t say anything to him. I go to grab Cade [Cunningham] to get Cade off the floor. He gives me a technical foul. That’s my job to get my player away from the referee, get us back to halftime so we can have the conversations that we need to have.”
J.B. Bickerstaff on tonight’s officiating:
“A referee makes a comment to me about, ‘night by night, this is how our interactions are.’ So that says to me that the referee is coming into the game not being objective.” pic.twitter.com/rUDnq5s6dZ
— Hunter Patterson (@HunterPatterson) December 19, 2025
Bickerstaff’s frustration boiled over again in overtime when he attempted to call a timeout from the backcourt after Jalen Duren secured his second rebound of the possession. According to Bickerstaff, the officials failed to acknowledge the request.
“That same referee is standing next to me,” said Bickerstaff, recalling the moment he shouted and stared down Goble following the final buzzer. “Does not award me the timeout.”
Despite his strong comments, Bickerstaff praised the effort and competitiveness shown by both teams and insisted the focus should remain on the game itself, not the officiating.
While the loss snapped Detroit’s four-game winning streak and dropped the Pistons to 21-6 on the season, they remain atop the Eastern Conference and will look to bounce back when they return home to face the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.