On February 9th, in the third quarter of a tight game between the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets tensions boiled over leading to a fierce brawl that could only be calmed with a police presence. Resulting in the ejection and eventual suspension of four players. The Hornets lost Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges, with the Pistons losing Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart as well.
The altercation was sparked by an ordinary foul. With a little over seven minutes left in the third quarter, Duren drove to the basket and was fouled by Diabate. Pistons forward Tobias Harris attempted to prevent any further damage by holding Diabate back, but he was too late. As the fight continues, Hornet forward Miles Bridges charges Duren with a punch of his own. Causing Isaiah Stewart of the Pistons to leave the bench and place Bridges in a headlock where he delivered multiple blows to the head.
All players involved received ejections as well as lengthy suspensions. Isaiah Stewart of the Pistons received a seven game suspension. His teammate Jalen Duren was given a two game suspension. The two Hornets Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate both received four game suspensions. Despite being ejected from the game Jalen Duren had little to no regrets over his actions. “Emotions were flaring. At the end of the day, we would love to keep it basketball, but things happen. Everybody was just playing hard.”
Duren claims that other teams have been trying to “get in our head” during the season. “This isn’t the first time that people have tried to be like extra aggressive with us and talk to us, whatever the case may be,” Duren said. “But as a group, we have done an OK job of handling that energy and intensity. At the end of the day, emotions got high with everybody being competitive. Things happen.”
Pistons head coach J.B Bickerstaff later supports his player. “That’s not something that you ever want to see, but if a guy throws a punch at you, you have a responsibility to protect yourself. That’s what happened tonight. If you go back and watch the film, they’re the ones who initiated crossing the line, and our guy had to defend himself.”
This tenacity may be crucial for the Pistons as they fight to retain their spot as the best team in the eastern conference with a record of 42-14. The Hornets who currently sit as the tenth seed in the eastern conference with a record of 28-31 need to spend more time practicing how to put the ball in the hoop rather than throwing a punch. Maybe then they can find that playoff spot that has eluded them for a decade.
