Phoenix – Hours before the teams’ game, Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart punched Phoenix Suns center Drew Eubanks at the arena, leading police to arrest him on charges of assault on Wednesday.
Stewart was freed and given a citation, according to Phoenix police. A sprained left ankle had previously been mentioned as Stewart’s game-day injury. The Suns won 116-100, and in 18 minutes, Eubanks scored six points and eight rebounds.
Prior to the match, Eubanks stated that the fight started as he was entering the arena. Police said incident happened in the parking lot of the Footprint Center, according to CBS Phoenix affiliate KPHO-TV.
According to Eubanks, Stewart punched him after they got into a heated dispute and were facing each other. Despite police claims that Eubanks had a slight injury, Eubanks maintained he was OK for the game once security intervened.
The Suns issued a statement saying, “The attack on Drew Eubanks was unprovoked, and acts of violence such as this are unacceptable.” “We unequivocally support Drew, and will continue to work with local law enforcement and the NBA.”
The event was known to the Pistons, according to them.
“We are in the process of gathering information about what happened and what provoked it, and responding to the NBA and local authorities,” the team stated.
After being dismissed by Phoenix at the end of the previous season, Pistons coach Monty Williams expressed his opinion that the Suns had no business interfering.
“The important thing is to gather all available data. Following the Suns’ 116-100 victory over the Pistons, Williams declared, “The NBA will conduct an investigation.” “It would be a little careless of me to come here and declare my position. Although the Suns claim it was an unprovoked incident, I believe that to be unwise. Actually, you have no idea.
“The goal is to get as much data as possible. After the Suns defeated the Pistons 116-100, Williams stated, “The NBA will conduct an investigation.” It would be a little reckless of me to come here and make a statement. The Suns said it was an unprovoked incident, which I find to be very reckless. You are genuinely ignorant.
“That was not necessary. A certain amount of time needs to pass before you may release a statement.
Following their on-court brawl in 2021, Stewart received two game suspensions and LeBron James received one from the Lakers.
“Keep the game first. There’s a lot of noise,” Suns star Kevin Durant said. “It’s unfortunate what happened before the game, it’s supposed to be a brotherhood. But I also understand, dudes get into stuff. We try to avoid that in this league, hopefully we can move on from it. We all support Drew.”
