Pistons Show Grit and Unity in Heated Win Over Hornets
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Detroit Pistons walked into a hostile Spectrum Center on Monday night and walked out with a win that said more about their character than the box score ever could. Yes, Cade Cunningham dropped 33.
Yes, the Pistons snapped the Hornets’ nine-game win streak. But what really stood out?
The resilience. The togetherness.
And the way this young team responded when things got chaotic-fast.
With 7:09 left in the third quarter, the game took a sharp turn from competitive to combative. A hard foul sparked a melee that saw benches clear, punches thrown, and four players ejected. Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart, Moussa Diabate, and Miles Bridges were all tossed after a scuffle that quickly escalated from a heated exchange to a full-on brawl.
Duren and Diabate were the initial flashpoint. After a hard foul, the two got in each other’s faces-headbutts, a face shove, and then Diabate charging at Duren.
Things unraveled from there. Bridges jumped in to back up his teammate.
Stewart came flying off the bench to defend his own. The scene turned chaotic, with players being held back, coaches trying to intervene, and officials scrambling to restore order.
Once the dust settled, the ejections came down. So did an ejection for Hornets head coach Charles Lee, who was tossed for arguing a call during the heated sequence. But through it all, the Pistons stayed locked in.
Cade Cunningham, who has emerged as the heartbeat of this team, spoke afterward about the importance of staying composed amid the chaos.
“I think it says a lot about our grit and our resilience,” Cunningham said. “It was a lot of emotion to the game.
Fans were into it. But for us to stay together and pull it through was a great win for us.”
Cunningham didn’t shy away from addressing the altercation, either. From his vantage point, it was about defending themselves and each other.
“I saw the two guys come together. The headbutt was what it was,” he said.
“JD was just trying to defend himself. Obviously, everybody in the NBA, we’re all high-level athletes.
Anybody coming at you, a grown man coming at you that way, you want to defend yourself… I thought we tried to defend ourselves, and we move on.”
Next Man Up: Reed Answers the Call
When Duren and Stewart were ejected, the Pistons needed someone to step up in the frontcourt. Enter Paul Reed.
He hadn’t played a minute up to that point, but when his number was called, he delivered. Reed finished with 12 points off the bench, providing energy, defense, and toughness in a game that demanded all three.
“We got a really deep team, a lot of guys that wait on their number to be called and they step up, and they’re ready,” Cunningham said. “Tonight was another night of that… for [Reed] to step in and be another big presence that adds a lot to the game just says a lot about his character and his mindset going into the game.”
Reed echoed that mentality postgame, knowing the situation called for poise and production.
“I understand that this was a pretty important game against a team that we might see in the playoffs,” Reed said. “At the end of the day, being on the bench all game, I just wanted to make sure that my guys know they can trust me out there.”
He backed that up with key blocks, rebounds, and hustle plays that helped Detroit close things out. But more than that, he spoke to the brotherhood that’s forming in this Pistons locker room.
“It’s through the roof,” Reed said when asked about the team’s chemistry. “I’m pretty sure that everybody on the team would help JD out there, even the guys on the bench, and we got each other’s back 100,000%.
We got to go out here and play games and win, so we all can’t just crash out. Some of us got to stay poised, stay in the moment, and understand what’s at stake.”
Cunningham’s Emotional Dedication
In the middle of all the chaos, there was also a moment of reflection. Cunningham dedicated the win to his late high school coach, Allen Gratts, who passed away the night before.
“My coach, my high school coach, Allen Gratts, passed away last night,” Cunningham said. “I just want to dedicate this game to anybody that’s watching from back home.
We stick together. Coach Gratts is a big part of my life.
I think about all the people that helped me along this journey to get to where I’m at today. I’m thankful.
I know he’s looking down.”
It was a heartfelt moment from a player who continues to grow not just as a scorer and playmaker, but as a leader-someone who understands the weight of the jersey and the people who helped him get there.
The Finish
Despite the ejections and the emotional swings, Detroit closed it out with composure. Cunningham knocked down two clutch free throws with 10.8 seconds left to give the Pistons a 110-104 lead.
Charlotte got one last look-a deep three from LaMelo Ball-but it clanged off the back iron. Ballgame.
The Pistons improved to 39-13, ending the Hornets’ nine-game winning streak and sending a message in the process: this team isn’t just talented-they’re tough, united, and ready for whatever comes their way.
The NBA will now review the incident to determine if further discipline is necessary. Suspensions and fines could be on the table, especially for players who left the bench or threw punches. But for Detroit, the focus is already shifting to the next challenge.
“Let’s get another dub in Toronto,” Reed said.
After a night like this, no one’s questioning whether this team has each other’s backs. The Pistons just showed the league that their fight goes far beyond the scoreboard.