The NBA has suspended Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart without pay for one game after he picked up his sixth flagrant foul point of the season during Wednesday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Stewart was also fined $50,000 for making “inappropriate and objectionable gestures” after he was tossed.
Midway through the second quarter, Stewart delivered a hockey-style check to Pacers center Thomas Bryant following an Indiana shot. The hit sent Bryant crashing down to the court as others worked to get the rebound.
Almost immediately, officials threw Stewart out of the game and he took off for the locker room. Bryant got up and briefly tried to go after Stewart, but he was held back before he could really get anywhere.
Stewart said afterward there was “a lot of talk” during the game and that he “slipped up” and “fell for the trap,” letting his teammates down.
“I have to be better at not letting those words allow me to affect the team,” Stewart said. “I know my squad could have used me out there tonight.”
Following the game, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff defended Stewart’s actions and noted that a line had been crossed.
“There’s things that happen on the basketball court that you have to deal with. Then there are certain things that are said to you that are no longer about basketball,” Bickerstaff said. “When it crosses that line like it did tonight, you should be able to stand up for yourself. … There was things said tonight that absolutely crossed the line, past basketball to man-on-man stuff. And if someone says something like that to you that crosses the line, you should have every single right to do what you need to do to defend yourself.”
Stewart had a point and an assist in eight minutes when he was ejected. The 23-year-old is averaging 5.5 points and six rebounds per game this season, his fifth with the Pistons. He was suspended for three games during the 2023-24 season when he was involved in a pre-game altercation with Drew Eubanks of the Phoenix Suns.
Stewart will miss Friday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, which happens to be his bobblehead night. He will be eligible to return for Sunday’s meeting with the Chicago Bulls.
