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"That's disrespectful... Somebody gotta die" - Jaylen Brown blames Jalen Duren for Pistons-Hornets brawl
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- "That's disrespectful... Somebody gotta die" - Jaylen Brown blames Jalen Duren for Pistons-Hornets brawl
A lot has been said about the Detroit Pistons -Charlotte Hornets brawl on Monday night. Pistons fans question why Miles Bridges came out of nowhere to take a swing at Jalen Duren . Meanwhile, Charlotte fans denounce Detroit big man Isaiah Stewart for leaving the bench and then engaging Bridges in a fight.
While breaking down the incident on a live stream, Jaylen Brown suggested the situation might not have spiraled if Duren hadn't escalated things after going head-to-head with Moussa Diabate .
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"Headbutt…oh, and he mushed him," said Brown. "That's disrespectful. If a dude takes his hand and mush you in your face like that, I ain't gonna lie…somebody gotta die."
Duren palmed Diabate's face
Detroit entered Monday's matchup looking to prove its dominance in the Eastern Conference, while Charlotte was riding high on a nine-game winning streak, the first since Stephen Curry 's father, Dell Curry, was a Hornet.
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The Hornets opened strong and built a 33-29 lead at the end of the first quarter. But the Pistons outscored them by eight points in the second to build a five-point halftime lead.
Then, with just over seven minutes left in the third quarter, a fight erupted.
Diabate fouled Duren, and the two engaged in a war of words before getting into each other's faces. But then Duren mushed Diabate's face, and that's what started the fracas.
Things got even crazier when Miles Bridges got involved, prompting Isaiah Stewart to leave the Pistons bench and engage in the fight himself. Four of them were ejected from the game.
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Fines and suspension are expected
Huge fines and suspensions await Duren, Stewart, Bridges and Diabate after the NBA reviews the incident. Stewart, a repeat offender, could face a more serious punishment than the other three, especially since he wasn't even on the floor when the incident occurred.
"Beef Stew" was icing his knees on the bench when he took off, without taking off the ice wraps, and attacked Bridges in defense of his teammate.
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"Emotions were flaring," Duren said after the game. "At the end of the day, we would love to keep it basketball, but things happen. Everybody was just playing hard…"This isn't the first time that people have tried to be like extra-aggressive with us and talk to us, whatever the case may be. But as a group, we have done an OK job of handling that energy and intensity. At the end of the day, emotions ran high with everybody being competitive. Things happen."
Thankfully, that was the second and last regular-season meeting between the two teams. However, it's possible — if the Hornets keep up their current play — that they meet in the 2026 NBA Playoffs as the No. 1 vs. No. 8 first-round matchup. After Monday's incident, that would be a can't-miss series.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
