Fists were flying after a hard foul in the game between the Pistons and the Hornets, which sent the contest into chaos and led to several ejections.
The brawl came in what ended up being a 110-104 loss for the Hornets on Monday.
The situation unfolded in the third quarter at Spectrum Center in Charlotte when Hornets forward Moussa Diabaté fouled Pistons center Jalen Duren while he was going for a shot inside the paint.
The foul was called, but the two got into each other’s faces almost immediately, and after Duren pushed Diabaté in his face, all hell broke loose.
Diabaté attempted to retaliate by swinging at Duren as players, coaches and officials tried to get control of the situation.
Diabaté was able to break free after he was briefly held back and attempted to chase down Duren a second time, but he was restrained again near the courtside seats.
As the focus was on Diabaté and calming him down, Miles Bridges went after Duren and ignited the situation even further, which led to Isaiah Stewart — who was not dressed for the game — to run off the Detroit bench to take on Bridges.
Hornets forward Moussa Diabate, second from left, is held back as he goes and Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) fight during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday. AP
Coaches, players and officials had to then work to separate those two.
Diabaté, Bridges, Duren and Stewart were all ejected from the game, and the NBA will likely take a look at what happened for supplementary discipline.
Pistons center Jalen Duren, left, throws punches with Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges, right, during a fight on the court in the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C.. AP
At the time of the melee, the Pistons had been holding a 70-62 lead over the Hornets as Charlotte was looking to win its 10th straight game.
Things continued to be testy during the game as Hornets coach Charles Lee was kicked out in the fourth quarter.
Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges of the Charlotte Hornets fight Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons. Getty Images
Lee had to be held back while screaming at officials for an offensive foul that was called on Grant Williams.
He left the court to loud applause from the home fans.
