Killian Hayes and Hamidou Diallo of the Detroit Pistons were both suspended for their role in the dust up against the Orlando Magic.
Hayes punched Moritz Wagner in the back of the head and appeared to knock him unconscious after Wagner pushed him towards the Pistons’ bench when Killian was at full speed.
Hayes’ 3-game suspension was expected, as the NBA tends to frown on punches being thrown more than shoves. Wagner only got two games even though he instigated the whole thing, which seems slightly unfair, but the NBA tends to punish retaliators more than the guys who start things.
Diallo also got in a shove on Wagner, who stood glaring at the Pistons’ bench (right up until the point Jalen Duren showed up) which did the right thing and didn’t take the bait. Diallo was hit with a one-game suspension for the shove, but the rest of the team was unscathed.
You can’t say the same for the Orlando Magic, who will be without most of their team for the next game.
Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes and nine Magic players suspended
The NBA not only hit Wagner with a suspension for starting the whole thing, but eight of his teammates were also handed one-game vacations for coming off the bench:
Pistons-Magic discipline:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 30, 2022
- Killian Hayes: 3-game suspension
- Moe Wagner: 2-game suspension
- Hamidou Diallo: 1-game suspension
- 1-game suspension to eight Magic: Cole Anthony, Mo Bamba, Wendell Carter Jr., RJ Hampton, Gary Harris, Kevon Harris, Franz Wagner, Admiral Schofield
The lesson here is that it’s better for a brawl to literally occur on your bench so that your guys aren’t able to come off it.
The Magic have been surpassing the Pistons both in terms of wins and development this season, but will be set back with most of their best players riding the pine for a game.
The Detroit Pistons are currently the worst team in the NBA, and the Magic sit at 13th in the Eastern Conference, 4.5 games ahead, so it will be interesting to see the effect these suspensions have on the two teams in the standings.
This will also be a minor setback for Killian Hayes, who has stepped up in an increased role since Cade Cunningham was ruled out for the season.
The Pistons will take on the Bulls tonight on the road, which will be a tough matchup shorthanded, as Detroit hasn’t beaten the Bulls since 2019.
The game tips off tonight in the United Center at 8:00 PM ET.