detroit pistons Big man Isaiah Stewart punches phoenix suns Center Drew Eubanks was punched in the face during an argument in the parking lot before the teams played each other Wednesday night in Phoenix. Stewart was arrested on suspicion of assault and released by Phoenix police after being charged with a citation. The investigation into this incident is still active. According to the police.
Police said Eubanks suffered “minor injuries” but played in the game. Stewart is out of the Pistons’ lineup due to an ankle sprain. The Suns defeated the Pistons 116-100.
Eubanks and Stewart got into a heated exchange during the teams’ matchup in Detroit on Nov. 5, and the feud carried over into Wednesday night.The two players reportedly chest to chest During the altercation, Stewart threw a punch. Security officers intervened before Stewart could be arrested.
Here’s Eubanks’ side of the story. via Arizona Sports:
“Basically we came in, words were said, we got face to face, and (Stewart) just gave me a bad punch,” Eubanks said in the locker room before the game.
What started the argument? According to Eubanks, it was “just some basketball shit.”
Drew Eubanks said it happened when he had just arrived at the arena, still in street clothes. He had never done anything with Stewart other than “just some basketball shit.”
“It’s obvious what he does and how he acts on the court, so it wasn’t a surprise.”
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) February 15, 2024
Sands called the punch “unprovoked” in a statement.
“The attack on Drew Eubanks was unprovoked and this type of violence is unacceptable,” the Suns said in a statement. “We unequivocally support Drew and will continue to work with local law enforcement and the NBA. I’ll go.”
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) February 15, 2024
After the game, Pistons coach Monty Williams (who was Phoenix’s head coach for years before taking the Detroit job this summer) called Phoenix’s unusual response “unprovoked.” I took it.
Here’s what Williams had to say about the incident: Via ESPN:
“The important thing is to get all the information. The NBA is going to investigate,” Williams said. “It might be a little bit irresponsible for me to come out here and make a statement. I know the Suns said it was unwarranted. I certainly think it’s irresponsible, because I really don’t know. Shin.
“That didn’t have to happen. There will be time for information to be gathered and then a statement can be made.”
Tensions were high before the match due to the pre-match incident, and officials were on high alert. Suns star Devin Booker was ejected for making comments to officials. This certainly looks like a soft ejection, but the referees didn’t want anything to bleed onto the court from Eubanks and Stewart’s beef.
Suns star Kevin Durant My thoughts on Booker’s exit:
“Yeah, because he was talking to me,” Durant said. “I think (Booker) said something that upset the referee, but in any case they were nervous before the game because of this situation and things could escalate. I understand that from their perspective, but I just think the engineers were too fast.”
Stewart famously got into a fight with LeBron James during a game two years ago.
Here is a photo of Eubanks before the game. He doesn’t seem to have any black eyes.
Photo by Kate Frese/NBAE, Getty Images
According to a reporter for The Athletic, the NBA plans to reconsider the incident.
