A tense and physical duel between the Detroit Pistons and the Charlotte Hornets ended up becoming one of the most chaotic episodes of the NBA season. The Monday night game, played at the Spectrum Center, was marked by a fight in the third quarter that resulted in the ejection of four players and the Charlotte coach, as well as a brief police intervention on the court. Despite everything, Detroit prevailed 110-104, snapping a streak that could have been historic for the Hornets. The confrontation occurred with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter. Jalen Duren was driving to the basket with the ball when he was fouled by Moussa Diabate. After the foul, the two players faced off and appeared to clash heads. Duren then struck Diabate in the face with an open right hand, igniting a brawl that lasted for more than 30 seconds. As Detroit's power forward, Tobias Harris, tried to restrain Diabate, the Charlotte player threw a punch at Duren. The Pistons' center backed away, but Miles Bridges reacted immediately, running toward him and delivering a left hook. Duren responded with another punch, while Diabate tried to rejoin the altercation and had to be restrained by his teammates.

Ejections, explanations, and a tense finish

Isaiah Stewart, who was on the Detroit bench, entered the court to confront Bridges. The exchange escalated when Stewart took Bridges into a headlock and landed several punches with his left hand. After reviewing the play, the referees ejected Diabate and Bridges from Charlotte, and Duren and Stewart from Detroit.

Duren described the incident as an “overly competitive game.” “Emotions were running high,” he explained. "At the end of the day, we'd like to keep it just about basketball, but things happen. Everyone was playing hard." The center also noted that other teams have tried to “get in our heads” during the season. “This isn't the first time people have tried to be more aggressive with us and talk us down.”As a group, we did an acceptable job managing that energy, but emotions ran high,” he added. Hornets coach Charles Lee was also ejected in the fourth quarter after angrily arguing a call and having to be restrained by Brandon Miller.“It looked like two players got into a heated argument and it just got out of hand,” Lee said later. Regarding his ejection, he acknowledged that he will need to manage his emotions better. Chief referee John Goble explained that the ejections occurred because the players “engaged in fighting during a dead ball,” which carries an automatic ejection under the rules. Detroit coach JB Bickerstaff defended his team: "Our guys weren't the ones who started it or crossed the line. If someone throws a hit, you have a responsibility to protect yourself." After the game, Bridges did not speak to the media, but wrote on Instagram: "Sorry, Hornets Nation! Sorry, Hornets organization!" I will always protect my teammates.”

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