The NBA has handed down suspensions following the on-court altercation between the Detroit Pistons and the Charlotte Hornets, bringing formal discipline to an incident that escalated quickly and resulted in multiple ejections.
The league’s announcement outlined penalties for four players, with Isaiah Stewart receiving the most significant punishment.
According to the official statement: “Detroit Pistons forward-center Isaiah Stewart has been suspended seven games for leaving the bench area, aggressively entering an on-court altercation, and fighting, it was announced today by James Jones, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations.
“The length of Stewart‘s suspension is based in part on his repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts.
“Additionally, Charlotte Hornets forwards Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabaté have each been suspended four games for fighting and escalating the altercation, and Pistons center Jalen Duren has been suspended two games for initiating the altercation and fighting.”
A fight that spiraled out of control
The sequence began with a physical exchange between Duren and Diabaté following a foul. What initially appeared to be routine contact quickly intensified.
Diabaté headbutted Duren, prompting Duren to push him in the face. As tensions flared, players from both the Pistons and the Hornets converged near the scuffle.
The situation escalated further when Bridges entered the fray and struck Duren from behind.
Moments later, Stewart left the Pistons‘ bench area and confronted Bridges as the confrontation spiraled out of control.
Officials and coaching staff worked quickly to separate players as the altercation threatened to spiral further out of control. All four players – Stewart, Bridges, Diabaté, and Duren – were ejected from the contest.
Duren, Bridges speak out on social media
Following the game, Duren addressed the incident, suggesting that the confrontation was part of a pattern of opponents attempting to disrupt the Pistons mentally and physically.
“As the year’s been going on, teams like to try to get in our head,” Duren said. “This ain’t the first time people have tried to be, you know, extra aggressive with us, talk to us, whatever the case may be.
“I think as a group, we’ve done an OK job handling that energy and intensity, but at the end of the day, emotions got high, everybody being competitive – we’re all men, so things happen.”
Meanwhile, Bridges took to Instagram after the game, where he appeared to take a shot at Stewart.
“They enforcer was grabbing hair he wasn’t trynna box fr,” Bridges said on an Instagram post.
The suspensions will test the depth of both the Pistons and the Hornets. Stewart‘s seven-game absence is particularly impactful, especially given his physical presence and defensive role.
For the Hornets, losing both Bridges and Diabaté for four games creates rotation challenges, while the Pistons must compensate not only for Stewart but also for Duren during his two-game suspension.
The NBA’s disciplinary response emphasizes its hardline on player conduct, particularly when altercations escalate beyond isolated exchanges into full-team confrontations.
Read the full article here
