Hornets-Pistons brawl leads to 4 ejections

A massive brawl broke out between the Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons on Monday night, leading to four ejections in a wild third-quarter scene.

Hornets players Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges, as well as Pistons’ Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, were all ejected from the game.

The incident began when Duren was backing down Diabate in the paint, and the latter fouled the former with around seven minutes to play in the third quarter. But the two immediately got in each other’s face, with Diabate pressing his head against Duren, which set everything off.

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Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges of the Charlotte Hornets fight Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons during the second half of a basketball game at Spectrum Center on Feb. 9, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (David Jensen/Getty Images)

Duren shoved Diabate’s face, and despite people on both sides trying to alleviate the tension, the usually mild-mannered Diabate kept trying to find Duren again.

Pistons veteran Tobias Harris was holding back Diabate, when the latter threw a punch at Duren, escalating the whole situation. As Duren walked away, Bridges got involved, throwing his own left-handed punch at Duren. The Pistons forward retaliated with his own punch.

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Then, with many on the court at this point, Stewart came rushing off the Pistons’ bench to confront Bridges, throwing a punch as their altercation became the focal point of the madness on the hardwood.

The tense scene finally dissipated, but the ejections didn’t stop after that. In the fourth quarter, Hornets coach Charles Lee was tossed from the game and needed to be held back after screaming at officials following a no-call when his player, Grant Williams, collided with Pistons’ Paul Reed.

The Pistons ended up winning the game, 110-104, to add to their Eastern Conference-best 39-13 record. The Hornets fell to 25-29, which sits them 10th in the conference.

Moussa Diabate of the Charlotte Hornets fights Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons during the second half of a basketball game at Spectrum Center on Feb. 9, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (David Jensen/Getty Images)

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Ejections in the NBA usually lead to discipline, so it will be interesting to see what the league office determines is proper punishment for this heated moment on Monday night.

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