Lakers star Anthony Davis was reminded of the scandalous Malice at the Palace by the bloody tussle between LeBron James and Pistons center Isaiah Stewart. The situation ended lightly, however, Davis then took the King under protection.
“We’re here in Detroit, so yeah, I had a few flashbacks,” said Davis after the Lakers’ narrow 121:11 victory at the Pistons, which was overshadowed by a wild brawl between LeBron James and Isaiah Stewart. Almost to the day exactly 17 years ago, a pack formation between the Pistons and the Indiana Pacers in the then Palace of Auburn Hills developed into a mass brawl between players and fans.
“The NBA security, the coaching staff and some players did a good job de-escalating. Nobody wants it to reach a point like it did 17 years ago,” said Davis, explaining why a similar scandal could be prevented. Stewart in particular was hard to bring to his senses, he tore himself away from his teammates several times to storm LeBron and the Lakers.
This had previously hit him in the face during a fight for a rebound, Stewart sustained a wound in his right eye that had to be sewn with five stitches. Soon after, both were kicked off the field by the referees. “I don’t know what he was trying to do,” said Davis. “But I know that nobody from our team would have allowed anything. We protect our brother.”
While LeBron and Stewart did not comment on the incidents, AD defended his teammates: “Everyone in the league knows LeBron is not a dirty player. In fact, after realizing he was, he did [Stewart] had met, turned around to him and said something like: ‘My mistake, I didn’t mean that.’ “
Los Angeles Lakers: Coach defends LeBron James
According to Lakers coach Frank Vogel, the turmoil came from Stewart, but he showed understanding for the expulsion of his superstar. “James got an elbow in his ribs. It was a foul and he was just trying to push the contact away. He accidentally hit him, but of course that was enough for a Flagrant Foul 2.”
For LeBron it was only the second ejection of his now almost 19-year career, the first he picked up in November 2017 in the Cavs jersey against his ex-team Miami Heat. Russell Westbrook also received a technical foul that was classified by the referees as “a driver, not a peacemaker” – to the incomprehension of the Guard. “Why did I get a technical foul? You had to give it to someone and it seems easy to get one on me,” he complained after the game.
Westbrook was also able to set sporty accents, he was an important factor in the comeback victory of the Lakers in the fourth quarter, who fought their way back from a 15-point deficit even without James. “That can change the momentum of the entire season. The boys stood by their team-mates and played with a lot of courage,” said a delighted coach Vogel.
Whether the Lakers in the next away game in New York against the Knicks on Wednesday night (from 1.30 a.m. on DAZN) have to do without LeBron again due to a potential ban, has not yet been determined.
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