Isaiah Stewart Faces Suspension After Brawl
Isaiah Stewart has a lot to think about following the intense brawl between the Pistons and Hornets on Monday night. The Pistons center received the harshest penalty, getting a seven-game suspension, while three others received shorter suspensions. The NBA made the announcement on Wednesday.
The league indicated that Stewart’s suspension was due to his act of leaving the bench area and “aggressively” engaging in a fight on the court.
Meanwhile, Charlotte’s Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabaté each received four-game suspensions for their roles in escalating the situation, and Stewart’s teammate Jalen Duren got a two-game suspension for initiating the altercation.
This means the Pistons will be without two of their key players for their upcoming road game against the Knicks, an important matchup that could play a role in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
“Stewart’s suspension is partly because of his history of unsportsmanlike conduct,” said James Jones, the league’s executive vice president and director of basketball operations.
The chaos began when Diabaté committed a hard foul on Duren in the third quarter, which led to a confrontation between the two that became increasingly heated. Duren made contact with Diabaté’s face, prompting both teams to rush in.
Then, Bridges pushed Duren, and Diabaté swung at him but missed. Diabaté managed to get free from the players trying to restrain him, positioning himself closest to Duren.
Bridges then escalated things further by punching Duren, prompting Stewart to rush in from the bench to confront Bridges.
All four players received technical fouls and were ejected from the game.
Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff defended his players. “They’re dealing with a lot, but they didn’t start this. They were reacting,” he said. “It’s disappointing it escalated to this level. You hate to see it. But if someone throws a punch at you, you have to protect yourself.”
Stewart’s history includes previous suspensions, with a notable two-game suspension last April for fighting during a game against the Timberwolves.
He will miss a challenging stretch of games, including a road matchup against the Raptors and games against the Knicks, Bulls, Spurs, Thunder, Cavaliers, and Magic.
Currently, the Pistons boast the best record in the Eastern Conference, with a 5.5-game lead over the Celtics, while the Hornets sit one game ahead of the Bulls for the final play-in tournament spot. Their upcoming schedule includes a home game against the Hawks, followed by matchups against the Rockets and Cavaliers before facing the Wizards.
