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Massive Brawl Breaks Out Between Hornets and Pistons, Several Players Ejected

Things got rather ugly for a moment in the second half between Charlotte and Detroit.
Schuyler Callihan|
Feb 9, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabaté (14) and guard/forward Kon Knueppel (7) and guard LaMelo Ball (1) get a break during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Feb 9, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabaté (14) and guard/forward Kon Knueppel (7) and guard LaMelo Ball (1) get a break during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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Charlotte Hornets

Tempers flared early in the second half of Monday night's game between the Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons, ultimately resulting in the ejection of four players. Moussa Diabaté and Miles Bridges were tossed on the Hornets' side of things, while Jalen Duren and Isiaiah Stewart were the guilty parties for the Detroit Pistons.

The brawl happened after Duren was fouled by Diabaté, leading to some trash talk. Duren walked right back over to Diabaté and somewhat headbutted him before shoving his face. Moussa then retaliated by charging after Duren, swinging viciously while being held back by teammates, Pistons players, coaches, and the officials. Whatever was said clearly struck him to his core because he was having no part of it whatsoever and was bound and determined to get to Duren.

The huge scramble along the sideline got worse when Bridges charged after Duren, who was being escorted off the floor by members of the Pistons' coaching staff. Bridges swung at Duren and possibly connected on a punch to the jaw, which was right in front of Detroit's bench. Isaiah Stewart watched it all go down and decided to come off the bench and run toward Bridges. Any player who leaves the bench is automatically ejected.

Full video of the brawl, provided by ESPN.

It will be interesting to see how the league handles this situation in terms of possible fines and suspensions. A one-game suspension is likely, which means the Hornets could be without Bridges and Diabaté for the team's final game before the All-Star break on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks.

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Schuyler Callihan
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN

Schuyler Callihan is the publisher of West Virginia On SI and has been a trusted source covering the Mountaineers since 2016. He is the host of Between The Eers, The Walk Thru Game Day Show, and In the Gun Podcast. The Wheeling, WV native moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2020 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers.

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