JB Bickerstaff Defends Team After Fight With Hornets

The NBA has gone 0 days without being dramatic. The Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets faced off on Monday night in a game that had some surprising intrigue. The Hornets entered the game as the hottest team in the league, coming off 9 straight wins. The Pistons entered the match as the top team in the Eastern Conference, looking to continue their dominance over the East. 

While the game was a good one, it was highlighted by a huge brawl between Moussa Diabete, Jalen Duren, Miles Bridges, and Isaiah Stewart. All four players were ejected and are expected to face additional penalties. 

Pistons’ coach JB Bickerstaff defended his players actions after the game.

"They're not the ones who crossed the line tonight. It's clear there was frustration because of what (Duren) was doing, and they crossed a line. I hate that it got as ugly as it got … but if a guy throws a punch at you, you have a right to protect yourself…Duren and Stew consider themselves to be brothers. If you run two guys at one guy and you've already crossed the line, human instinct tells him to protect his little brother."

While it may be true that Duren and Stewart weren't exactly the main instigators of the brawl, they were still very much involved. Additionally, Stewart reignited the fight in a big way and left the bench to get involved (a big no-no). He is also a repeat offender when it comes to on-court fighting. 

So, while it is nice that Bickerstaff has his guys’ backs, it probably won’t make much of a difference when it comes down to the league disciplining them.