“Just don’t foul him. He’s good at drawing fouls. Well, he’s good at selling – selling – fouls. So you just got to be smarter”. Through his remarks, Ausar Thompson revealed knowing what to expect the next time he would face Jalen Brunson. The New York Knicks star took full advantage of being guarded by the 22-year-old Pistons player during Game 1 of their team’s playoff series. It is why he was able to go to the free-throw line for 10 shots. For Game 2, however, Thompson was on guard, and able to compete against Brunson by being a bit physical. As it turns out, that strategy is something the Pistons HC wishes to use for future games too.
In the aftermath of the Detroit Pistons’ win in Game 2, a reporter asked if J. B. Bickerstaff felt there were moments in the recent game where Jalen Brunson was attempting to draw more fouls from Ausar Thompson. Coach B highlighted that a lot of stuff happens in the backcourt in the open, “leaving sometimes no choice but to call it.” However, it was something the Pistons need to avoid.
That said, Bickerstaff had complete confidence in Thompson. And the rest of his men. “He’s got a job to do, he knows what his job is. If it’s not Ausar, it’s Dennis. We feel like we have got bodies that we can just keep throwing at them,” he noted. “And if the game is a physical game, and we keep bumping, we keep bruising, our aim is just try to continue to wear guys down, right? We don’t want to be on our heels because we’re worried about foul calls. We need to be who we are. And we need Ausar to be who he is”.
As the coach highlighted, Ausar Thompson is someone who keeps dogging on the defensive end of the floor. Therefore, if the Knicks wish to continue to put a physical presence, the 22-year-old is the prime candidate.
Q “Brunson has elite skillset of ‘I’m gonna draw 6 fouls on my guy I don’t want guarding me…’”
Bickerstaff “…We’ve got bodies we can keep throwing at him. If the game’s physical & we keep bumping, bruising, our aim’s to wear guys down…We need to be who we are…be physical” pic.twitter.com/xhyTFY8DQq
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) April 22, 2025
Attendees at Madison Square Garden, which also included Olympic Gymnast Suni Lee (OG Anunoby got his motivation, lol), saw as Thompson kept getting physical with his rival from time to time. ‘Boston’s Burner’ highlighted how the Detroit Pistons‘ small forward physically blocked Brunson when he was attempting a drive, causing the latter to fall hard on the basketball court’s floor.
Thompson even fought against the screens set by Karl-Anthony Towns to keep being close to the 28-year-old. Thompson blocked a shot made by Brunson as 5:36 minutes remained in the 4th quarter, causing the Pistons player to draw another foul. Overall, the young player was giving the impression that the ‘Bad Boys’ area of the Detroit basketball team might be coming back.
Ausar Thompson was sure of himself going into the game. This is why, when reporters asked him about the challenges he’s faced while guarding Jalen Brunson so far, he replied, “None”. Now, having seen the effect of Thompson blocking Brunson, Bickerstaff will not divert from this strategy anytime soon. If this is the case going forward, then Brunson’s head coach wants at least better officiating in future games.
Tom Thibodeau criticizes referees over Jalen Brunson-Pistons Foul Discrepancy
With the rival coach deploying physical plays, Tom Thibodeau could not remain silent. For the head coach, if the Pistons were going to inflict bruises on Jalen Brunson, then the Knicks should at least receive the fair compensation. Aka foul calls. However, in the recent game, the Detroit Pistons wound up shooting 34 free throws, while the New York Knicks only got 19.
As reported by Huron Daily Tribune, Thibodeau felt that Jalen Brunson wasn’t getting the same type of calls that Cade Cunningham received. The Knicks reportedly want to play physically against Cunningham. The team finds it hard to do so without receiving whistles for fouls.
“Obviously huge discrepancy in free throws. Huge. I’ve got to take a look at that,” said Thibodeau. He also added that “I don’t understand how on one side you talk about direct line drives. The guy is getting fouled, and it’s not being called. And look, I don’t really give a crap how they call the game, as long as it’s consistent on both sides. So, if Cunningham is driving and there is marginal contact and he is getting to the line, then Jalen deserves to be getting to the line. It’s really that simple.”
Each team has different expectations and plans going ahead in the series. With both teams now tied 1-1, it remains to be seen what happens next.
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