CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A third-quarter brawl on Monday night led to the ejections of Hornets forwards Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges along with Pistons big men Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart.
The skirmish began with 7:13 left in the period when Diabate and Duren exchanged words before an inbound pass. Moments later, Duren caught the pass, attacked the lane and absorbed a hard foul from Diabate. The two bumped heads, and Duren shoved Diabate in the face, triggering a melee that lasted more than 30 seconds.
Bridges escalated matters by pushing Duren with both hands. Diabate then charged Duren and attempted a punch that missed as Tobias Harris intervened. When the situation seemed to cool, Bridges and Duren traded remarks before Bridges swung a left hand; Duren answered with a right that also failed to connect.
From the bench, Stewart sprinted onto the floor to confront Bridges—an action that normally carries an automatic suspension. Bridges threw another punch, and Stewart briefly had him in a headlock before players and officials separated the group.
The fight overshadowed a highly anticipated matchup between Eastern Conference-leading Detroit and a Charlotte squad riding a nine-game winning streak. The Pistons prevailed by six.
Stewart has multiple previous suspensions for on-court altercations, and ESPN’s Bobby Marks predicted a stiff penalty for his role in Monday’s incident. After the game, Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff described Duren and Stewart as “brothers,” adding, “If you run two guys at one guy and you’ve already crossed the line, human instinct tells him to protect his little brother.”
Source: Hoops Rumors
