Diabate blames Duren for ‘putting his hands on my face’ for starting the fight
The NBA has officially issued significant disciplinary action following an intense physical altercation between the two Charlotte Hornets and the Detroit Pistons. According to a league statement, Isaiah Stewart received the harshest punishment with a seven-game suspension for leaving the bench and entering the fray, a decision influenced by his history of unsportsmanlike conduct.
In addition, the Hornets are improving Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate were suspended for four games for their roles in escalating the chaos, while Pistons center Jalen Duren faces a two-game ban for instigating the brawl.
The brawl, which resulted in four total ejections, occurred during the Pistons’ 110-104 victory and quickly became a season-defining moment for both Eastern Conference teams.
Reflecting on the incident reported by The Charlotte Observer, Moussa Diabate identified the exact moment when he lost his composure.
“So I fouled him, we get in each other’s faces, which is fine. That’s basketball. When he put his hand on my face, it was obviously unfortunate, but at that moment I lost control of my emotions,” Diabate admitted.
He pointed out that the outburst is not a reflection of his character, but a reaction to being touched in the face, which he considers the main line to be crossed.
Miles Bridges echoed this sentiment, describing Duren’s actions as “the most disrespectful thing you can do”.
Bridges noted how he’ll always protect his teammates, but he also had some quarterback talk Monday morning about his involvement in the ordeal: “I just needed to go to Musa and make sure he was good,” Bridges said.
“It’s a learning experience.”
Diabate also noted that the team is “moving differently” now, using the intensity of the fight to set a new tone in the quest for a postseason berth.
This perspective contrasts with Reasonable comments from Jalen Duren after the gamewhere he attributed the flare-up to an overly competitive environment and high-stakes trash talk.
With both teams moving forward without key contributors, the fallout from this feud will undoubtedly linger until their final regular-season meeting in April.
2026-02-11 17:18:00
