With less than six minutes left, Pistons’ Deniss Jenkins missed his running layup, his teammate Thompson, and Cavs Max Strus contested for the follow-up attempt. But Thompson, who has been a demon on the glass duties, overpowered the Cavaliers’ star this time unethically. Strus would end up ending the hardwood but was back up this feet and took exception to the takedown. Officials, assistant coaches, teammates, and staff members all had to interject.
Thompson had his arms locked on Stus’s left arm, which led to the fall. The Cavs star grabbed his rival’s left hand and put his finger into Thompson’s chest. That’s why the officials called a technical foul on Strus, who had earlier missed the first 67 games of the season with a broken left foot. After the tech, the 30-year-old guard went to the official for a little more clarification, but it was James Harden who stepped in to avoid any further jeopardy for his teammate.
Ausar Thompson also received a penalty, and it was a personal foul for the Pistons guard, his fourth for the night. The Cavaliers were ahead 114-80 with 5:51 left, so it was unnecessary from Thompson on this play. Sunday was difficult for the 23-year-old as he had just five points on a 2-7 shooting and even missed his two free throws. This frustration seeped in when he received his tech after the end of the third quarter.
Ausar Thompson takes Max Strus down, and Strus doesn’t appreciate it.
They both exchange words and Strus receives a technical foul.The staff and players separate the two, who didn’t initiate anything further.
A tech on Strus, upon review, as James Harden tries to move him away… pic.twitter.com/SSeqvqWpV3— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) May 18, 2026
He was jawing at the official during the break, and that’s why the Cavs started the fourth with a free throw. This would stretch their lead to 27 points as the Pistons looked clueless at home. But it’s not the first time that Thompson and his overbearing physical nature have become a talking point.
Game 6 step over from Ausar Thompson
Last time, he did a hard shove on Cavs star Sam Merrill, followed by a cold stare and a deliberate step over the fallen guard. The final step over was like the Allen Iverson move, which transpired in the 2001 NBA Finals. But unlike AI, who used his skill and crossover to break Ty Lue’s ankle, this time it was brute force from Thompson. The officials intervened quickly. Cavaliers fans were flipping their fingers and chanting, ‘Throw him out’, as the review was underway.
However, the officials decided that “The left arm of Thompson makes contact with the neck of Merrill. There is impact and follow-through on this play. It’s been upgraded to a flagrant foul penalty one.” There was no ejection or no repercussion from the league towards Ausar Thompson. Lead referee Zach Zarba told a pool reporter the referees did see Thompson’s hand on Merrill’s neck, but didn’t throw him out.
“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.” They dominated Game 6 but looked out of sorts in Game 7. While they restricted James Harden to just 9 points, the Cavs still had four players with over 20 points tonight with Donovan Mitchell (26), Jarrett Allen (23), Sam Merrill (23), and Evan Mobley (21 points, 12 rebounds).
