Detroit Pistons head coach J.B Bickerstaff was not too fond of the officiating during his team's 113-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He expressed frustration during a post-game press conference after one of his Pistons players was ejected.
"I'm disgusted by how that game was officiated," Bickerstaff said. "The level of disrespect was above and beyond."
J.B. Bickerstaff answered only one question after the Pistons game. He went off on the officiating.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) March 16, 2025
"I'm disgusted by the way that game was officiated. The level of disrespect was above and beyond," he said. pic.twitter.com/9AS64aDVIc
He later added that he felt his players were intentionally targeted by the refs.
"They have a guy fall down and trip on his own teammate's foot; they review us for a hostile act," Bickerstaff said. "They throw an elbow to our chest and neck area; I ask to at least take a look at it (on video). ... No one would take a look at it."
He added, "The disrespect has gone far enough, and I'm not going to allow our guys to be treated the way they were tonight."
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J.B Bickerstaff goes off on NBA officiating
Pistons All-Star Cade Cunningham picked up two technical fouls and was ejected late in the third quarter after having some words for the officials. Dennis Schröder also picked up a technical foul.
The Thunder and the Pistons were neck and neck for most of the game with similar shooting stats. The Thunder finished the contest going 43-of-89, while the Pistons shot 42-of-88. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished the contest with 48 points on 17-of-26 shooting. He also chipped in six assists, four rebounds, and three steals on the road towards what may be the first MVP of his career.
However, the Thunder dominated the game at the free throw line, making 17 out of 22 attempts. Meanwhile, the Pistons shot 9-of-13 from the charity stripe.
"We deserve a level of respect because we're competing our tails off and bringing something positive to this league," Bickerstaff continued. "Right? We're growing young players. Our young players are competing their tails off. 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.
"And enough is enough of it! And what you saw tonight was disgusting. It was a disgusting display of disrespect towards our guys and what we're trying to do."
With fourteen games remaining in the regular season, the 37-31 Pistons are looking to hold on to the No. 6 seed in the East. They suffered their second straight loss after falling to the Washington Wizards in their previous game.
Bickerstaff's Pistons would look to bounce back when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.