Pistons' Bickerstaff 'disgusted' by officiating in loss to Thunder

Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff wasn't happy with the officiating in his team's 113-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.

"I'm disgusted by the way that game was officiated," Bickerstaff said postgame, per WXYZ's Brad Galli. "The level of disrespect was above and beyond."

The Pistons were forced to play the fourth quarter without All-Star guard Cade Cunningham after he was ejected late in the third. Cunningham picked up consecutive technical fouls after he appeared to take exception to a loose ball foul called against Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart. It was the second ejection of Cunningham's career. The Thunder ended up shooting five free throws as a result of the commotion.

"We deserve a level of respect because we're competing our tails off and bringing something positive to this league," Bickerstaff said.

The Pistons made a push in the fourth quarter, reducing their 16-point deficit to four with less than two minutes remaining.

"Our young players are competing their tail off," Bickerstaff said. "The least that they could do is get the same respect that everybody else in this league gets, and get refereed the same way that everybody else in this league gets reffed. And enough is enough of it. What you saw tonight was disgusting. It was a disgusting display of disrespect towards our guys and what we're trying to do."

The loss was Detroit's second consecutive defeat. The Pistons sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, 4.5 games clear of the Atlanta Hawks to avoid the play-in tournament.