Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham’s night ended in the worst way possible—frustrated, ejected, and watching from the locker room as his team fell just short against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But it wasn’t just about the loss. It was how it all went down.

Everything unraveled late in the third quarter in one of the most chaotic sequences of the season. OKC somehow ended up taking five free throws in a single possession, and by the time the dust settled, Cunningham was gone, the Pistons were down big, and head coach JB Bickerstaff was absolutely furious.

With just under a minute left in the third, Isaiah Stewart got called for a loose ball foul on Jaylin Williams. Simple enough, right? Except during the review—where, by the way, Lu Dort tripped on his own teammate’s foot—Cunningham picked up a technical for chirping at the officials. No big deal. Happens all the time.

But then, as players lined up for free throws, Cunningham kept talking, clearly still heated over the call. And just like that—boom. Second tech. Automatic ejection.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, Dennis Schroder also got hit with a tech, setting up a disaster sequence where OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drained three technical free throws, Williams knocked down one more, and suddenly, a manageable game turned into an 88-73 Thunder lead.

Cunningham’s night was over—11 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, but an ice-cold 5-of-18 from the field. And just like that, he was headed to the locker room, his second career ejection in the books. The first? All the way back in 2022, when he got tossed for something as harmless as pointing to his own bench after a dunk. Safe to say, Cade’s got a history with some questionable exits.

Following the game, Crew Chief Brian Forte provided an official explanation for Cunningham’s ejection in a pool report interview with The Detroit News’ Coty Davis. “Cunningham was given his first technical foul for disrespectfully addressing an official with profanity. After the free throw for the first technical was shot, Cade continued to use profanity towards the official and received his second technical foul and was ejected.” said Forte

According to reports, Cunningham was heard saying, “What the f*** you doing?” to a referee before picking up his first technical. Moments later, as players lined up for free throws, he continued his exchange with the official, leading to the second tech and an automatic ejection.

JB Bickerstaff Blasts Officiating in Furious Rant

If you thought Cunningham was mad, Bickerstaff took it to another level.

After the Pistons fell 113-107, the head coach didn’t just call out the officials—he torched them.

“I’m disgusted by the way that game was officiated,” he said, visibly fuming. “The level of disrespect was above and beyond. They have a guy fall down and trip on his own teammate’s foot. They review us for a hostile act, they throw an elbow to our chest, neck area. I ask for them to at least take a look at it. No one would take a look at it.“

He was slamming the table as he spoke, the frustration boiling over. And honestly? You can’t blame him. “We deserve a level of respect because we’re competing our tails off,” he continued. “The least that they could do is get the same respect that everybody else in this league gets.“

But even after all that, even without their best player, the Pistons kept fighting. Down 16 in the fourth, they clawed their way back, cutting the deficit to just four in the final minutes. The comeback fell short, but the fight was there. The frustration? Even more so.

Right now, Detroit is still holding onto the sixth seed in the East. But with tensions running this high, you have to wonder if Bickerstaff’s rant is going to cost him. The NBA doesn’t exactly love it when coaches go off like this, and a fine could be coming his way.

For now, the Pistons just have to shake this one off and get ready for the next one. And if you ask them, maybe pray for better officiating while they’re at it.