11 players have been suspended by the National Basketball Association following a mass altercation towards the end of the second quarter, during the Detroit Pistons’ 121-101 win over the Orlando Magic at the Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday.
Detroit Pistons guards Killian Hayes and Hamidou Diallo both received three-game and one-game suspensions without pay, while Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner was given a two-game suspension without pay for his role as one of the major culprits in the on-court scuffle.
The sanctions were announced on Friday by former Pistons guard and now NBA Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations, Joe Dumars.
The incident started when Wagner, in an unsportsmanlike manner, pushed Hayes into the Detroit bench, resulting in a flagrant-2-foul and his ejection, while both were tussling for a loose ball.
Guinean-descent Diallo, in his bid to protect his teammate, pushed Wagner from behind, leading to a technical foul and his ejection.
Killian Hayes made matters worse by punching the Magic Center in the back of the head, leading to an ejection and a technical foul for the French-American youngster.
In addition, eight other Magic players have each received a one-game suspension without pay for leaving their bench area while the altercation was ongoing.
The players include guards Cole Anthony, R.J. Hampton, Gary Harris, and Kevon Harris, forwards Admiral Schofield and Franz Wagner [Moritz Wagner’s brother], and centers Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr.
The one-game suspensions for the eight Magic players will be staggered so that they can field at least eight players in their next two games.
Diallo will miss the Pistons’ game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center, while Hayes’ three-game suspension includes the Bulls’ game and two matches against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Wagner’s two-game suspension will begin when the Magic play at home at Amway Center against the Washington Wizards.
The Magic are currently 13th in the Eastern Conference, and they boast a better record of 13 wins and 23 losses, than the bottom-placed Pistons with 9 wins and 28losses.
