Charlotte — The Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets were involved in a significant altercation inside Spectrum Center on Monday night.
At the 7:09 mark of the third quarter, Hornets center Moussa Diabate fouled Jalen Duren while he was attempting a layup. The incident led to a heated exchange. The two players faced each other when Diabate headbutted Duren, who responded by shoving the 6-foot-10 big man in the face.
What started as a shoving match between Diabate and Duren escalated when Miles Bridges and Isaiah Stewart got involved, leading to a fight. Stewart was not in the game at the time of the initial skirmish. Upon leaving the bench, however, it appeared that he threw punches in the direction of Bridges.
All four players were ejected. The Pistons won the fight-filled game with a 110-104 victory.
“The respective players engaged in fighting activity during the dead ball,” said crew chief John Goble. “After review, we assessed fighting fouls, and by rule, they were ejected from the game.”
As the Pistons prepare to conclude their two-game road trip against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, fines and suspensions are expected to be announced on Tuesday.
The Pistons will undoubtedly be without Duren and Stewart for their game against the Raptors, and potentially for the upcoming games against the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls following the All-Star break. The games will take place on the road on Feb. 19 and 21, respectively.
“Our guys deal with a lot. They are not the ones who initiate. They are not the ones who crossed the line tonight,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “It was clear through frustration with what J.D. was doing that they crossed the line. I hate that it got as ugly as it got. That is not something you want to see. But, if a guy throws a punch at you, you have a responsibility to protect yourself. That’s what happened tonight.”
coty.davis@detroitnews.com
@cotydavis_24
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Suspensions for Pistons’ Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart likely to follow fight with Hornets
Reporting by Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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