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It was fight night in Motor City on Wednesday as the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic squared up after a foul by Moritz "Moe" Wagner ignited a melee.
The Pistons were looking comfortable leading the Magic 63-44 at the end of the second quarter when a violent altercation led to three players being ejected from the game.
The Little Caesars Arena in Detroit has been the scene of a few bust-ups in recent years with the Pistons gaining a reputation in the NBA as always ready to get physical if the game takes a turn towards a scrap to sort out the situation.
This time, though, it wasn't the aggression of the Pistons that kicked it off but a foul by the Magic. Within seconds, players and coaches from both teams were near the Detroit bench with at least one punch thrown and the resulting scuffle going viral on social media.
What Started the Brawl Between the Pistons and Magic?
It began with the Magic on the attack when an errant pass led to forward Moe Wagner to go scrambling back towards his own half with Pistons guard Killian Hayes in hot pursuit.
With Hayes looking like that he might make it to the loose ball first, Wagner shoved the Pistons star into their bench to bring his progress to an abrupt halt.
Hayes jumped up to land a right-handed punch to the back of Wagner's head, which propelled him forward into the Pistons' bench.
Wagner's Magic teammates were soon on the scene as both sets of players and coaches became involved in the ensuing melee with the officials having to wait for calm and order to return before they could take action.
The brawl sparked quite a reaction on social media with person commenting on Twitter: "Why everyone want to fight Detroit? #DetroitVsEverybody."
While another felt that the brawl may have sparked a new rivalry: "The killian/wagner fight tonight has [probably] started a rivalry between the pistons and magic and i'm all here for it... two rebuilding teams that will be elite at the same time. give me this rivalry for the next 10 years."
A third added: "Magic-Pistons fight breaks out in Detroit and the PA announcer is loudly begging fans to stay in their seats 😂 Malice in the Palace PTSD."
The brawl, dubbed "Malice at the Palace," during the 2004 season was one of the NBA's most infamous moments, in which a fight between the Pistons and the Indiana Pacers spilled into the crowd and saw the game finish early as spectators and players exchanged punches with order not being restored in the arena. After the game, the NBA suspended nine players for a total of 146 games.
Who Was Ejected From the Game After the Brawl?
Ejections were almost inevitable after such a fracas and with several members from both teams involved, it took the officials a little time to decide who had to leave the game.
It was no surprise that Hayes and Wagner were both ejected and they were followed by Pistons small forward, Hamidou Diallo.
How Did the Pistons-Magic Game Finish?
The fight between Hayes and Wagner happened before the end of the first half and the Pistons had a sizeable lead at the time.
The Pistons managed to stay ahead during the second half, despite the ejections, and ended 121-101 winners with Alec Burks contributing 32 points and Saddiq Bey notching 28 points.
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