CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A skirmish between the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets in the third quarter of Monday’s game led to the ejection of four players.
Charlotte’s Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges were thrown out, as were Detroit’s Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart. Hornets coach Charles Lee was also ejected in the fourth quarter after he had to be restrained while arguing with an official over a call.
The Pistons emerged victorious, winning the game 110-104.
Duren, driving towards the basket with a little over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, was fouled by Diabate. Following the foul, Duren faced off with Diabate, seemingly butting heads. Duren then pushed Diabate in the face with his open hand, igniting a confrontation that spanned more than 30 seconds and required a brief police presence on the court.
As Pistons forward Tobias Harris held Diabate back, Diabate landed a punch on Duren. Duren, choosing to walk away, prompted Bridges to charge at him and throw a left-handed punch. Duren responded with a punch of his own. Diabate attempted to rush at Duren again, necessitating restraint from others.
Stewart left the bench to confront Bridges, who punched back, leading to a physical tussle. At one moment, Stewart put Bridges in a headlock and landed several left-handed punches to his head.
Duren described the situation as an “overly competitive game.”
“Emotions were high,” he stated. “finally, we want to maintain the integrity of the sport, but things happen when everyone is playing intensely.”
Duren mentioned that rival NBA teams have been trying to “get into our heads” throughout the season.
“This isn’t the first instance where teams have tried to be overly aggressive towards us,” Duren said. “Collectively, we’ve managed to handle that energy and intensity relatively well. yet, during competitive moments, emotions can escalate. It’s part of the game.”
Duren chose not to specify how the altercation began, instead referring to the video footage.
The Hornets did not make Bridges and Diabate available for post-game interviews.
even so, Bridges took to Instagram late Monday to express: “Apologies to Hornets Nation! Sorry to the Hornets Organization! Always going to stand by my teammates.”
Lee added: “It seemed like two players got into a heated exchange, which escalated rapidly.”
Crew chief John Goble later stated in a pool report that the players were ejected for “engaging in fighting activity during a dead ball. After reviewing the situation, we assigned fighting fouls, and per the rules, they were ejected.”
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff defended his players afterward.
“Our guys face a lot, but they didn’t instigate the altercation; they weren’t the ones who crossed the line tonight,” Bickerstaff remarked. “It became obvious that, out of frustration, due to D.J.’s [Duren’s] actions, they crossed a line. I regret that things took such a negative turn.”
“That’s certainly not something you wish to witness, but when someone throws a punch at you, self-defense is necessary. That’s what unfolded tonight. If you review the footage, it’s clear who initiated the escalation, and our player had to protect himself.”
Tensions were still palpable at the Spectrum Center after the fracas.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Lee was ejected after needing to be restrained by Hornets forward Brandon Miller while contesting officials regarding a non-call after Charlotte’s Grant Williams collided with Detroit’s Paul Reed.
“Grant barely made contact as he walked through the paint, and the other player fell to the floor. That’s the call they deemed necessary,” Lee remarked. “Officials have a tough job, but I felt that wasn’t the consistent standard we observed throughout the match.”
Regarding his ejection, Lee acknowledged the need for better emotional control.
