A chaotic third-quarter fight between the Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons on Monday night ended with four player ejections and quickly spilled into social media afterward. Charlotte forward Miles Bridges and teammate Moussa Diabate were ejected, along with Detroit big men Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart.
Hornets head coach Charles Lee was later tossed in the fourth quarter after officials had to restrain him during an argument. Detroit went on to secure a 110-104 win, ending Charlotte’s push to tie a franchise record with 10 straight victories.
The fight broke out with just over seven minutes left in the third quarter after Diabate fouled Duren as he drove to the basket, per The Guardian. Duren turned back toward Diabate, the two went face-to-face, and contact escalated quickly. Duren struck Diabate with an open hand, triggering a prolonged confrontation that lasted more than 30 seconds and eventually drew a brief police presence onto the court.
As Pistons forward Tobias Harris tried to hold Diabate back, Diabate threw a punch toward Duren. Bridges then charged in and swung a left-handed punch at Duren, who responded before walking away. Diabate attempted to reengage and had to be restrained again.
Stewart then left the bench area to confront Bridges, setting off another physical exchange. During the scuffle, Stewart briefly got Bridges in a headlock after swinging and missing. Video angles later showed Stewart grabbing a handful of Bridges’ hair, a moment that was not immediately visible during the live broadcast.
That clip quickly spread across social media and prompted Bridges to respond late Monday night on Instagram. Grabbing hair in a fight consisting of two grown men is an interesting choice.
“They enforcer was grabbing hair, he wasn’t trynna box fr,” Bridges wrote.
Bridges’ comment immediately gained traction online as fans weighed in on the altercation and his reaction to Stewart. Some criticized Bridges for speaking publicly about the incident since has a history of domestic violence, while others focused on the physicality of the fight itself and Stewart’s role in it, per College Football Network.
Meanwhile, Duren described the game as overly intense but tried to downplay the fallout.
“It was an overly competitive game,” Duren said. “Emotions were flaring. At the end of the day, we would love to keep it basketball, but things happen.”
Duren added that Detroit has faced aggressive play from opponents throughout the season and suggested the Pistons have generally handled that pressure well.
“This isn’t the first time teams have tried to get in our head,” Duren said. “At the end of the day, emotions got high with everybody being competitive. Things happen.”
Bridges and Diabate were not made available for postgame interviews, but Bridges later apologized directly to the franchise on social media.
“Sorry Hornets nation! Sorry Hornets Organization! Always gonna protect my teammates forever,” he wrote.
Coach Lee echoed that the situation escalated quickly from a heated exchange, while crew chief John Goble confirmed in a pool report that all four players were ejected for engaging in fighting activity during a dead ball after video review.
