The latter portion of Monday evening’s basketball match between the Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons unfolded with significant disorder at the Spectrum Center.
Four athletes and Charlotte Hornets’ head coach Charles Lee were unable to complete the Pistons’ 110-104 victory in North Carolina.
The initial confrontation broke out during the midpoint of the third period when Charlotte forward Moussa Diabate committed a foul against Detroit center Jalen Duren as Duren attempted a shot from the paint. Following the whistle, the two players confronted each other, trading a few remarks, before Duren forcefully pushed Diabate in the face.
Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate is held back as he goes after Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) during a fight on Monday night. (AP/Nell Redmond)
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This incident provoked Diabate, who then lunged at Duren, leading to a swift and major confrontation that required numerous coaching staff members and referees to diffuse. Diabate attempted to strike Duren while being restrained, only to break free and charge at Duren once more.
Subsequently, once Diabate was removed from the scene, Miles Bridges advanced towards Duren and delivered a punch. This action spurred Isaiah Stewart — who was not participating in the game at that moment — to rush from the sidelines and engage in a brawl with Bridges. A subsequent melee then shifted towards the team seating areas, necessitating intervention from the game officials.
In due course, the referees managed to restore order. Following an extensive video review, Diabate, Bridges, Duren, and Stewart were all removed from the contest. It is anticipated that the league will impose additional disciplinary actions soon.
At that juncture, the Pistons held a 70-62 advantage.
Following the matchup, Detroit’s head coach J.B. Bickerstaff promptly attributed responsibility for the occurrence to the Hornets.
“It was clear, through frustration because of what JD was doing, that they crossed the line,” Bickerstaff said, via The Athletic’s Hunter Patterson. “I hate that it got as ugly as it got. 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, and that’s what happened tonight. If you go back and watch the film, they’re the ones that initiated crossing the line, and our guy had to defend himself.”
Charlotte Coach Charles Lee Also Ejected
Despite not being implicated in the initial occurrence, Lee was dismissed from the match during the middle of the final quarter.
Charlotte guard Grant Williams received an offensive foul call subsequent to colliding with Paul Reed near the perimeter, causing Reed to fall to the floor. Williams was not in possession of the ball then and appeared somewhat bewildered by the referee’s decision.
However, Lee vehemently disagreed. He began shouting at the game officials. Williams, Brandon Miller, and LaMelo Ball restrained him as he persisted in criticizing the referees. Lee was promptly removed from the contest.
“I take ownership of it. … I thought it was a very physical game,” Lee said, via The Associated Press’ Steve Reed. “Grant’s walking down in pain and barely touched somebody and the guy fell over, and that’s what we were gonna call a foul. Again, they have a hard job to have to make these calls, but I don’t think that that was like the consistency of what had been called the rest of the game.”
This season marks Lee’s sophomore year as the Hornets’ leader, signifying his inaugural role as a head coach in the league.
The Pistons, who maintained a lead for most of the latter half, ultimately secured the victory by six points in the closing moments. Cade Cunningham spearheaded their effort with 33 points, 9 boards, and 7 dimes. Duncan Robinson contributed an additional 18 points. Detroit’s record now stands at 39-13 for the current season.
Miller topped the scoring for the Hornets with 24 points in the defeat, which concluded their impressive nine-game winning streak. Kon Knueppel provided 20 points and five rebounds, while Ball also tallied 20 points.
