Detroit Pistons Coach Puts Blame on Charlotte Hornets for Massive Brawl

The Charlotte Hornets had their nine-game winning streak snapped last night by the Detroit Pistons. It was a tight affair, with the East-leading Pistons eking out a six-point win in the final seconds. That was not the story of the game, though.

The Hornets had two players ejected (and later, Charles Lee was tossed for arguing), and the Pistons had two players ejected during a massive brawl on the court.

Moussa Diabaté and Miles Bridges left early for the Hornets, while Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart were tossed on the other side. After the game, Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff put the blame firmly on the Hornets.

“Our guys deal with a lot. They are not the ones that initiate. They are not the ones that crossed the line tonight.”

Bickerstaff speaks on tonight’s alteration between the #Pistons and Hornets. pic.twitter.com/pG8MqSq2TU
— Coty M. Davis (@CotyDavis_24) February 10, 2026

He said, “Our guys deal with a lot. They are not the ones that initiate. They are not the ones that crossed the line tonight. It was clear, through frustration because of what JD was doing, that they crossed the line. I hate that it got as ugly as it got, that's not something you ever want to see."

Bickerstaff added that, while he hated how wild the brawl got, if players are punched, they have a responsibility to protect themselves. "That's what happened tonight, go back and watch the film, they're the ones that initiated crossing the line. Our guy had to defend himself," the coach said.

Some users on X were quick to disagree with Bickerstaff's account, with a few posting a screenshot of what appeared to be the inciting incident.

pic.twitter.com/a3m1JAZlgG
— Sharkey (@sharkSlayer4994) February 10, 2026

The film may not agree with Bickerstaff's assessment, either, though it is entirely impossible to determine what was said between Duren and Diabaté that sparked this incident. From the broadcast perspective, though, it didn't look like the Hornets big man's fault.

It appeared that Diabaté fouled Duren on a shot attempt, and then the two got into each other and started jawing a little bit. It's unclear if Diabaté was fed up or if Duren didn't appreciate the foul, but they butted heads, literally.

After that, Duren clearly put his hand on Diabaté's face and pushed him back, thus sparking the actual brawl, elevating it to a fight from a mere on-court argument. From there, as Charles Lee put it, "It looked like two guys got into a heated conversation, and it just kind of spiraled from there."

Bickerstaff, understandably, wants to defend his players, but he might not be as accurate as he would like with his take on what happened.

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