What Miles Bridges Said After the Fight and Why it Matters for the Hornets

Things got out of hand rather quickly last night in Spectrum Center between the Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons when Jalen Duren and Moussa Diabaté started going after one another following a foul call in front of the Hornets' bench.

Diabaté was shoved away in the face by Duren, and he took it extremely personal. He ran toward Duren, swinging punches while being held back by several players, coaches, and refs who were only semi-successful in stopping the brawl.

As Duren was walking away and leaving the floor, Miles Bridges then went after him and threw a punch to the jaw, which then caused Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart to come off the bench and get involved.

BENCHES CLEAR IN PISTONS-HORNETS 😲

Moussa Diabate, Miles Bridges, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart were all ejected following the altercation during Pistons-Hornets. pic.twitter.com/VeNSi6vEBR
— ESPN (@espn) February 10, 2026

All four players were ejected and are set to face fines and suspensions handed down by the NBA. The amount and length of time they will miss will likely be different for each player, particularly Stewart, who has been involved in a scrap before.

Late last night, Bridges made a post on his Instagram story, apologizing for his actions, saying, "Sorry Hornets Nation. Sorry Hornets organization! Always gonna protect my teammates forever."

Miles Bridges’ message to Hornets fans after his ejection tonight: pic.twitter.com/mmZlkbKIoF
— Will Eudy (@WillEudyNBA) February 10, 2026

While I understand where Bridges is coming from, he could have protected his teammate in a much better way. Instead of getting involved in the scuffle, he should have been the one to go get Moussa, wrap him up, and walk him away from the situation. He is viewed as one of the leaders of this young team, and you can't afford to let your emotions get the best of you. Now he and Diabaté are going to miss time, and it's going to hurt the Hornets' chances of winning games in the short-term.

Going after Duren to protect is teammate is something I would understand from a younger player. But these games are way too valuable to just throw away. Bridges knows better. In order for this team to truly grow and mature, they have to realize that handling their emotions can be the difference in making the postseason or sitting in a play-in game versus earning a top-six seed. Hopefully, this is a lesson this group can learn from, so that if things get heated again, they don't resort to the same reactions that ultimately hurt the team.

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