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Pistons Coach Sounds Off on Isaiah Stewart’s Ejection vs Pacers

Detroit Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff comes to the defense of Isaiah Stewart.
Justin Grasso|
Jan 29, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart (28) is ejected from the game for a flagrant foul on Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant (3) in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Jan 29, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart (28) is ejected from the game for a flagrant foul on Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant (3) in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

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Detroit PistonsIndiana Pacers

The Detroit Pistons only received eight minutes of action from their standout backup center, Isaiah Stewart, on Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers.

As Stewart landed a flagrant 2 foul call early on in the game, the veteran center was ejected.

Stewart left the game with just one point and one assist.

It certainly wasn’t Stewart’s first time leaving the game early due to an ejection. Considering the timing and the circumstances, Stewart’s early exit was definitely a major hit for the Pistons, who were seeking revenge against their division rival.

The rivalry has been living up to the expectations this season, as Detroit becomes more competitive. However, Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff made it clear that lines were crossed on Wednesday.

“There’s things that happened on the basketball court that you have to deal with,” Bickerstaff told reporters after the game.

“Then there are certain things that are said to you that are no longer about basketball. When it crosses that line like it did tonight, you should be able to stand up for yourself.”

While Bickerstaff wouldn’t get into specifics about what was said, he showed no hesitation in having his players back, as Bickerstaff suggested that the Pacers took comments too far.

“There were things said tonight that absolutely crossed the line past basketball to man-on-man stuff, and if someone says something like that to you that crosses the line, you should have every single right to do what you need to do to defend yourself,” the head coach finished.

The Pacers won the season series against the Pistons on Wednesday night. While a late November matchup for an NBA Play-In group game went in favor of the Pistons, the Pacers have managed to fire off two victories in the month of January to close out the four-game series.

Wednesday’s matchup resulted in a 133-119 loss for the Pistons.

The Pistons are set to return to the court on Friday to host the Dallas Mavericks.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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