After a skirmish with Isaiah Stewart on Sunday, November 21, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers won only the second expulsion of his NBA career against the Detroit Pistons.
Because of this incident, James faced an uproar from fans and critics, and Anthony Davis defended his Lakers teammates.
“Everyone in the league knows that LeBron is not a dirty person,” Davis said. “As soon as he did this, he turned around and told him,’My fault.'”
When asked about his comments on the unfortunate on-court quarrel between James and Stewart, Pistons coach Dewan Casey expressed the same view.
“I don’t think James is a dirty player, but Stu stabbed him in the eye,” Casey said during the game. Interview after the game“He felt like he had been shot in the forehead. I’m not even sure if he knew who hit him.”
Event replay It shows that James seemed to elbow Stewart in the third quarter free throw, pushing the Detroit big man to the ground.
James seemed to apologize, but Stewart was enraged because the starting five from Los Angeles and Detroit began to gather near the midfield.
Many Pistons officials and players kept Stewart away from James and other Lakers bench players.
Stewart broke free briefly and ran to the Lakers. The melee seemed to stop, but he was stopped by his teammates and coach again before being lifted off the court.
At the same time, Russell Westbrook was convicted of a technical foul for participating with 9:18 left in the third quarter, and the Lakers trailed 78-66.
According to a report ESPN, Stewart needs eight stitches after the game.
Unfortunately, the Pistons entered the fourth quarter with a 15-point lead, and the Lakers won 121-116.
It is expected that the NBA will impose huge fines after the incident, most of which may lead to escalation due to Stewart.
Lakers coach Frank Vogel believes that this incident may change the team’s momentum this season.
“For me, this is one of the things that can change the momentum of your season,” Vogel said.
This victory improved the Lakers’ record in the Western Conference to 9-9, and this loss was a double whammy for the Pistons, who fell behind 4-12 in the Eastern Conference.
Photo: Getty Images | Nick Antalya
