CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Detroit Pistons All-Star guard Cade Cunningham spoke about the team’s mentality following their victory over the Charlotte Hornets, a game marked by a heated brawl in the third quarter.
“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.”
Recommended Videos
Asked about the altercation, Cunningham described what he saw from his vantage point.
“I saw the two guys come together. The headbutt was what it was,” Cunningham 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. But there’s a lot going on. I can’t act like I just had the best view of everything. But I thought we tried to defend ourselves, and we move on.”
Cunningham also highlighted the depth of the Pistons roster and the team’s ability to step up when called upon.
“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. Paul Reed doesn’t play the whole first half, doesn’t play up until that moment. JD’s playing well, Stu’s playing, and for him 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.”
In a heartfelt moment, Cunningham dedicated the game to his late high school coach, Alan Gratz, who passed away the night before.
“My coach, my high school coach, Allen Gratts, passed away last night,” Cunningham shared. “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. I just wanted to pray for my school, pray for everybody, his family, his friends that I love. I hope I continue to make him proud.”
What happened
Fellow All-Star Jalen Duren and former Michigan Wolverines big man Moussa Diabate sparked a squabble in the third quarter with 7:09 to play following a hard foul.
Following the hard foul, Duren didn’t take the foul lightly and walked up to Diabate, who head-butted each other before Duren mushed the former Wolverines big man in the face, setting off the massive brawl.
Diabate charged Duren before taking a swing at him, as the first-time All-Star backpeddled away, while former Michigan State Spartans high flyer Miles Bridges jumped in to defend his teammate.
The former Wolverines big man was being held up by Tobias Harris before breaking away and charging toward Duren, who balled up his fists and squared up before being tackled into the crowd.
While both sides were being de-escalated, Bridges started pointing his finger in Duren’s direction and broke away from staffers to charge Duren before Isaiah Stewart came flying in from off the bench to take a few swings at Bridges before both fights got ultimately separated.
BENCHES CLEAR IN PISTONS-HORNETS 😲
— ESPN (@espn) February 10, 2026
Moussa Diabate, Miles Bridges, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart were all ejected following the altercation during Pistons-Hornets. pic.twitter.com/VeNSi6vEBR
It wasn’t a repeat of the Isiah Thomas-led Detroit Bad Boys from the 1980s and early ’90s, or even the Malice at the Palace involving Hall of Fame center Ben Wallace.
Monday, Feb. 9, saw mayhem on the court at Spectrum Center as the Pistons entered a hostile environment to face a red-hot Hornets team on a nine-game winning streak.
All four players involved—Duren, Diabate, Bridges, and Stewart—were ejected from the game.
The NBA will review the incident from every angle to determine whether further punishment is warranted.
Players who throw punches could face multi-game suspensions, and monetary fines are common, especially for players who leave the bench area during altercations.
In addition to the player ejections, Charlotte’s head coach, Charles Lee, was also ejected for arguing a call during the heated game.
Detroit went on to end the nine-game winning streak, to advance to 39-13 on the season.
Cunningham iced the game by knocking down two free throws with 10.8 seconds left to take a 110-104 lead.
Charlotte went on to throw up a last-second heave by LaMelo Ball, which hit off the back iron.
With Duren and Stewart ejected with a quarter and a half to play, Reed came in and played a huge role in securing the victory.
“I understand that this was a pretty important game against a team that we might see in the playoffs,” said Reed. 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 on the court while coming in and making plays to help us win.”
Reed talked about coming in and getting blocks and rebounds against the Hornets.
“I take a lot of pride in that. I got a versatile game. I can do a lot of things on the court, so I just try to display that every time I come on the court,” Reed said.
Describing the brawl, Reed talked about the love the team has for each other and how they have each other’s backs.
“It’s through the roof,” Reed said. “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 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. Let’s get another dub in Toronto.”
Reed finished the game with 12 points off the bench in the victory, while Cunningham finished with 33 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in the victory.