NBA hands down severe bans as violent court brawl punishments set
Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart has been handed a seven-game suspension by the NBA for his role in a mass altercation during Monday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets.
The league has also issued significant sanctions to three other players following the violent scenes midway through the third quarter.
Charlotte Hornets pair Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate have both received four-game bans for fighting and escalating the conflict.
Pistons center Jalen Duren was suspended for two games for initiating the incident.
Violent escalation
The disorder began when Diabate committed a defensive foul on Duren with just over seven minutes remaining in the quarter.
Duren turned to confront the French forward, with the pair appearing to butt heads before the Pistons star shoved his opponent in the face.
Stewart, who was not in the game at the time, left the bench area to confront Bridges.
The situation rapidly deteriorated as Bridges responded with a punch and the two players tussled on the court.
Stewart managed to place the Hornets forward in a headlock and delivered multiple blows to his head.
The confrontation lasted more than 30 seconds and ultimately required a police presence on the floor to restore order.
History of indiscipline
The NBA stated that Stewart’s lengthy ban was attributed in part to a repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts.
All four players were assessed technical fouls and ejected from the contest immediately.
Stewart and Duren will begin their suspensions on Thursday when Detroit visit the Toronto Raptors.
Bridges and Diabate will also be absent from Thursday’s schedule as Charlotte host the Atlanta Hawks.
‘Emotions were flaring’
Following the game, Duren attempted to downplay the severity of the scrap.
“Emotions were flaring. At the end of the day, we would love to keep it basketball, but things happen. Everybody was just playing hard.”
Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons center
Bridges took to social media late on Monday to address the incident involving the Detroit bench.
“Sorry Hornets nation. Sorry Hornets Organization,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Always gonna protect my teammates forever.”