NBA suspends Pistons’ Killian Hayes 3 games, Magic’s Moe Wagner 2 games after fight
The NBA suspended 11 players after Wednesday night’s brawl during the Detroit Pistons’ 121-101 win over the Orlando Magic.
The league handed down punishments Thursday night after the brawl at Little Caesars Arena. Pistons guard Killian Hayes received a three-game suspension and Magic forward Moe Wagner received a two-game suspension.
Pistons guard Hamidou Diallo received a one-game suspension for his role in the brawl, along with eight different Magic players, who were all suspended for leaving the bench area once the incident began.
That group of players – Cole Anthony, RJ Hampton, Gary Harris, Kevon Harris, Admiral Schofield, Franz Wagner, Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr. – will stagger their suspensions so that the Magic have enough players to compete.
The brawl broke out just before halftime of Wednesday’s game in Detroit when Wagner and Hayes were chasing a loose ball in the backfield. As they approached the Pistons bench, Wagner hit Hayes with a shot that sent him to the floor. This prompted a quick response from Hayes, who jumped back up and hit Wagner in the back of the head.
The hit sent Wagner crashing to the Pistons bench and caused a much bigger brawl to erupt in his wake.
Coaches and officials eventually split the group, and Wagner and Hayes were ejected. Diallo jumped as well, as he shoved Wagner before the punch.
Pistons coach Dwane Casey called out the group of Magic players and coaches who rushed the huddle after the game, clearly unhappy with how it escalated.
“I was upset because, my understanding of the rule was that when you leave the bench to get into a fight, you’re escalating,” Casey said.
“My job is that there have been words that have been said, things that have been said by the players and their coaches that are not de-escalating the situation… So that they don’t have anyone sent off. [other than Moe Wagner], I have to go back and have an explanation … This is how bad things begin. It could be worse. I don’t feel like they were making the situation worse.”
The Pistons held a 17-point halftime lead and cruised to a 20-point victory that snapped a six-game losing streak. Alec Burks dropped 32 points off the bench for Detroit and Saddiq Bey added 28 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Killian Hayes threw a punch that sent Moe Wagner crashing to the Pistons bench Wednesday night. In total, 11 players received a suspension after the brawl. (Rick Osentoski/USA Today)
