Kenny Atkinson was caught cursing mid-match on a live TV microphone

Leading the league The Detroit Pistons narrowly pulled away with a 122-119 overtime victory against the heavily depleted Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night at Little Caesars Arena. The three-hour, 22-minute marathon included sudden leads, key disqualifications and a bizarre 18-minute delay in the third quarter when a power outage caused the scoreboard to beep continuously.

However, one of the funniest moments came when Kenny Atkinson was caught cursing on the touchline after a call went down in his team’s favour.

“He kicked the s—t out of him on that finish, come on baby!” was heard screaming at the judges, per clip on X by Bleacher Report.

The Cavs were in control with a nine-point lead with less than four minutes left. However, they allowed the Pistons to get back into the game despite Cade Cunningham fouling out with almost two minutes on the clock.

The Cavs committed costly turnovers and put the Pistons back on a defensive foul with 4.7 seconds on the clock. Guard Jaylon Tyson attempted to intentionally foul Pistons reserve Danis Jenkins near halfcourt to prevent a tying three-point attempt.

Instead, he committed a three-shot foul, converted the score into free throws and forced overtime. The Pistons built a quick six-point lead in overtime, but the Cavaliers clawed back to within one point behind Tyson’s 3-pointer and Dennis Schroeder.

After a successful Detroit coaching challenge, Tobias Harris hit a turnaround jumper with 21 seconds left to give the Pistons a three-point cushion. Cleveland had one final chance to force double overtime, but Mobley’s 3-point attempt, which was overpowered by the 3-pointer, drew the iron.

For the Pistons, Jalen Duren had a team-leading 33 points and 16 rebounds, and Cunningham finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds to go with seven assists.

Jarrett Allen led the scoring for Cleveland, continuing his stunning form with 25 points and nine rebounds, missing a double-double for just the second time in his last 10 games. Evan Mobley scored 23, while Sam Merrill added 20 points.

Regardless, the Cavs were within touching distance of victory despite both of their absences Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, and now they will play against the Brooklyn Nets.