Lakers: LeBron James Suspended For One Game For Hit on Isaiah Stewart
There was a really good chance that the Lakers could have ended up playing without LeBron James for a few days. After a fight broke out between Los Angeles and Detroit on Sunday night, the expectation was that the league would hand down some sort of suspension.
The biggest question was how long he would have to be out. James got tangled up with Pistons center Isaiah Stewart in the third quarter. A closed fist hit on Stewart landed when he swung backward, and it set off a whole skirmish.
Here's a better look at him getting hit, and it's tough to imagine the league not issuing a punishment for James. It resulted in just the second ejection of his long NBA career.
The Lakers had a brawl involving Brandon Ingram and Rajon Rondo back in 2018. Ingram got four games and Rondo ended up with a three-game suspension after both guys threw punches with Rockets players. Using that as a reference point, it seemed unlikely that LBJ would get more than two games.
And that is exactly the case. The league announced today that James would receive a one-game suspension and that Stewart would be out for two games.
It also helps that the argument can be made that he didn't entirely mean to hit Stewart in the face. With his back turned, it doesn't entirely look like he is going for a hit to his face, even if it was intentional.
But regardless, it's a bad time for the Lakers to not have James. They've struggled to stay healthy all year and have barely scratched to a 500 record. They also play the Pistons again at Staples Center on Novemeber 28th...
