Paul Reed reveals how Jalen Duren’s struggles highlight team unity
Fans on Detroit Pistons he will always have horrible memories of “Malice in the Palace”. There were sudden flashbacks on Monday, like The Pistons entered a bench-clearing battle against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center.
Fortunately, it didn’t escalate further, as cooler heads eventually prevailed. Jalen Duren, Isaiah StewartMoussa Diabate and Miles Bridges were both sent off for fighting.
With Duren and Stewart out, Paul Reed was the next man up for the Pistons. While he wanted to help his teammates, he said he had to stay on the bench not to be kicked out.
“I’m pretty sure everybody wanted to help JD, even the guys on the bench. We’ve got each other’s back 100,000%. But we’ve got to play basketball, we’ve got to win and, you know, we can’t just go out,” Reed explained in a postgame interview.
“One has to stay composed and stay in the moment and understand what is at stake.”
Paul Reed on the big fight:
“I’m pretty sure everybody wanted to help Jalen Duren, even the guys on the bench. We gave each other back 100,000%. We’ve got to play basketball, we’ve got to win, we can’t just go out. 😂 pic.twitter.com/RRhgI3KoAS
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) February 10, 2026
The Pistons won the battle 110-104, ending the Hornets’ nine-game winning streak. Reed had 12 points, three rebounds and two steals in 18 minutes.
He’ll likely play a bigger role Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors, as well Duren, who was named to the All-Star Gameand Stewart is expected to be suspended.
Fans on social media praised Reid, 26, for staying calm during the ugly altercation, with some even joking that a statue of him should be built outside Little Caesars Arena.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons against the Hornets, scoring a game-high 33 points on 12-of-27 shooting. He added nine rebounds and seven assists.
2026-02-10 07:02:00
