Pistons-Magic fight: 11 players suspended following bench-clearing skirmish

A game between the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic shouldn’t have much intrigue beyond the development of some talented young players on both sides and the implications for the Victor Wembanyama derby in the NBA draft lottery. As the Pistons coasted to a 121-101 victory over Orlando, the game suddenly took centerstage on a wild night throughout the NBA because of a fight just before halftime.

Killian Hayes and Moe Wagner chased a loose ball at the end of the second quarter with Detroit already up big. Wagner shoved Hayes near the sideline and he went flying into the Pistons bench. Detroit guard Hamidou Diallo then shoved Wagner from behind, and Hayes get to his feet and gave a forearm strike to the back of Wagner’s head.

Wagner, Hayes, and Diallo were all ejected. Suspensions came down on Thursday, with Hayes getting three games, Wagner getting two games, Diallo getting one game, and eight different Orlando players getting one game for leaving the bench. Watch the scene here:

Thankfully no one was injured in the fight. Here’s the full scoop on the suspensions:

Franz Wagner, Cole Anthony, Wendell Carter Jr, Gary Harris, Mo Bamba, R.J. Hampton, Kevon Harris, and Admiral Schofield were all players who left the Orlando bench once the fight started. That’s a suspension.

Here’s how much the suspensions will cost the players:

The scene caused some flashbacks to the infamous “Malice in the Palace” but fortunately never escalated to that level. The announcer in the arena pled with fans to stay in their seats as the fight was happening.

The Pistons still own the worst record in the NBA after the win at 9-28 overall. The Magic have the fifth worst record in the league at 13-23. There are a lot of promising young players on both sides, and this could be the beginning of a rivalry in the Eastern Conference.

For now, the NBA is just thankful this fight didn’t get any worse.