Embattled NBA referee reveals why Jarrett Allen trip wasn't called a foul

[ASFN Admin]

The spotlight has been on long time NBA referee Tony Brothers in the 2026 NBA playoffs... and not for the right reasons.

Earlier in the postseason, he confronted Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, who called Brothers out for "completely unprofessional behavior." And on Wednesday night, he was right there to blow the whistle at the end of regulation in Game 5 of the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers game when Jarrett Allen tripped up Ausar Thompson.

But he didn't call it a foul. And per the pool report with Detroit News' Coty Davis, he explained why:

"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 stuck to his take that it was "incidental contact" and that "the play will be reviewed by the league office tomorrow."

Me? I'm no NBA ref but that looked like a foul to me, incidental or not.

Piston coach J.B. Bickerstaff absolutely thought it was a foul​

“He fouled Ausar. It’s clear.”

Bickerstaff speaks on the final play of regulation when Jarrett Allen appeared to have tripped Ausar Thompson while going for a loose ball. #Pistonspic.twitter.com/Fz7TmPQ29B

— Coty M. Davis (@CotyDavis_24) May 14, 2026

"He fouled Ausar. It's clear. He trips him when he's going for a loose ball."

Apparently not to Brothers. We'll see if the league agrees, even though it's moot at this point.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: NBA referee on why Jarrett Allen trip on Ausar Thompson wasn't foul

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