Monday night’s game between the Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons at Spectrum Center turned chaotic in the second half, with multiple ejections overshadowing Detroit’s 110–104 road win.
A total of four players — along with Hornets head coach Charles Lee — were ejected before the game reached its conclusion.
The first altercation broke out midway through the third quarter after Hornets forward Moussa Diabate fouled Pistons center Jalen Duren as he attempted a shot in the lane. Following the whistle, the two players went face-to-face and exchanged words. Moments later, Duren shoved Diabate in the face.
That ignited a full-blown fight. Diabate charged at Duren, triggering a large scrum that required coaches, assistants and officials to intervene. While being restrained, Diabate attempted to swing at Duren before breaking free and charging at him a second time.
As officials worked to separate the two, Hornets forward Miles Bridges rushed in and threw a punch at Duren. Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart, who was not in the game at the time, then ran off the bench and became involved in the scuffle with Bridges. The altercation spilled toward the team benches, prompting a second scrum before order was finally restored.
After a lengthy video review, officials ejected Diabate, Bridges, Duren and Stewart. Additional discipline from the league is expected in the coming days. Detroit held a 70–62 lead at the time of the incident.
Hornets coach Charles Lee also ejected
Although he was not involved in the earlier altercation, Hornets head coach Charles Lee was ejected midway through the fourth quarter.
The ejection followed an offensive foul called on Grant Williams, who collided with Pistons forward Paul Reed near the top of the key, knocking Reed to the floor. Williams did not have the ball on the play and appeared confused by the call.
Lee erupted in protest, angrily yelling at the officials. He had to be restrained by Williams, Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball as he continued arguing. Officials quickly assessed Lee with an ejection.
Lee is in his second season with the Hornets and is in his first year as an NBA head coach.
Despite the disruptions, Detroit controlled most of the second half and closed out the six-point victory. Cade Cunningham led all scorers with 33 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Duncan Robinson added 18 points as the Pistons improved to 39–13 on the season.
Brandon Miller paced the Hornets with 24 points in the loss, which snapped Charlotte’s nine-game winning streak. Kon Knueppel finished with 20 points and five rebounds, while LaMelo Ball also scored 20.